The role of cavitation microjets in the therapeutic applications of ultrasound

The dynamics of a gas bubble situated in a sound-irradiated liquid and near a rigid boundary was studied theoretically to get a better understanding of the role of cavitation microjets in the therapeutic applications of ultrasound (US). The boundary integral method was adopted to simulate the temporal development of the bubble shape, jet formation during bubble collapse and bubble migration. It was found that the dynamic behaviour of the jet and the migratory characteristics of the bubble depend not only on the distance between bubble and boundary but, also, on the properties of the acoustic field. For frequencies of sound fields smaller than or equal to the resonance frequency of the bubble, jet formation and bubble migration toward the boundary are the main features of the interaction. No jet formation was observed for frequencies of sound fields larger than the resonance frequency of the bubble, and the bubble kept its initial position from the boundary throughout its motion. The pressure generated by the impact of the jet developed during bubble collapse close to the boundary may result in the fragmentation of brittle objects, such as renal calculi, dental tartar or intraocular lens. (C) 2004 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine Biology.