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  • Acoustic streaming in a soft tissue microenvironment

Ghamrawy, Ahmed El, de Comtes, Florentina, Koruk, Hasan, Mohammed, Ali, Jones, Julian R. and Choi, James J., 2018, Journal Article, Acoustic streaming in a soft tissue microenvironment Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology, 45 (1). pp. 208-217. ISSN 0301-5629

Abstract or Description:

We demonstrated that sound can push fluid through a tissue-mimicking material. Although acoustic streaming in tissue has been proposed as a mechanism for biomedical ultrasound applications, such as neuromodulation and enhanced drug penetration, streaming in tissue or acoustic phantoms has not been directly observed. We developed a material that mimics the porous structure of tissue and used a dye and a video camera to track fluid movement. When applied above an acoustic intensity threshold, a continuous focused ultrasound beam (spatial peak time average intensity: 238 W/cm2, centre frequency: 5 MHz) was found to push the dye axially, that is, in the direction of wave propagation and in the radial direction. Dye clearance increased with ultrasound intensity and was modelled using an adapted version of Eckart's acoustic streaming velocity equation. No microstructural changes were observed in the sonicated region when assessed using scanning electron microscopy. Our study indicates that acoustic streaming can occur in soft porous materials and provides a mechanistic basis for future use of streaming for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes.

School or Centre: School of Design
Identification Number or DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.08.026
Date Deposited: 30 Jan 2026 15:49
Last Modified: 30 Jan 2026 15:58
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/6791
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