An ultrasound corridor in the brain is created for diagnosis and treatment
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Modern surgical interventions can be performed with minimal tissue damage using an ultrasound surgical instrument. But with the pathologies of the brain, ultrasound could not be used earlier, since the cranium prevented the penetration of the rays.
To eliminate this problem, a group of specialists representing the American University of California at Riverside came up with a kind of ultrasound corridor that allows the rays to get directly into the brain of the patient.
Ultrasonic flows can be used for examining structural defects of the brain, as well as for fighting tumors, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, for eliminating thromboembolism of the cerebral arteries, and for episodic removal of the blood-brain barrier for the administration of medications.
Until now, physicians could only carry out the procedure of neurosonography in infants - until the only and natural passage for ultrasound is opened - the fontanel fontanelle. Then the procedure became potentially impossible.
Experts explain: cranial bones have an increased density, despite the fact that their thickness varies within 2-8 mm. For an ultrasonic wave this is an insurmountable barrier.
Artificial corridor for ultrasound is a transparent ceramic window sewn by neurosurgeons under the scalp instead of a small remote area of the parietal bone. The window consists of yttrium-normalized zirconia and has a dense structure that allows for unimpeded ultrasound.
Elements based on ceramics have already been recognized as very promising in the medical field. They are biologically compatible, practical and shock-resistant, - thus, ceramics represent an ideal analogue of the cranium. The new material can be used for both ultrasound and laser treatment.
"Ceramics is already actively used in dentistry and arthrology: dental crowns and prostheses are made from it. Our goal in this situation is the creation of a therapeutic corridor, through which physicians can conduct numerous ultrasound procedures on the brain - both therapeutic and diagnostic, "the author of the discovery points out.
If the ceramic window has the appropriate optical and radio frequency characteristics, then it really will allow to involve ultrasound surgery for interventions on the brain. In addition, today there are serious prerequisites for establishing management of the blood-brain barrier with the use of ultrasound - in fact while the only obstacle for this was the cranial bone.
"Zirconium dioxide is rightly called" steel ceramics ". This is an extremely durable material with a low porosity - a unique property that is best suited for diagnostic procedures and ultrasound treatment of neurological pathologies, "experts say.
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