Encapsulated Bubble Dynamics in Imaging and Therapy
Résumé
This chapter is devoted to the dynamics of encapsulated gas microbubbles which are used in medical ultrasound as contrast agents for imaging and as a therapeutic tool for drug delivery. Topics covered include theoretical models describing the effect of encapsulation on the acoustic response of contrast microbubbles, models describing the interaction of contrast microbubbleswith boundaries such as walls of experimental containers and blood vessels, ultrasound imaging techniques based on using microbubble contrast agents, and the phenomenon of sonoporation which is believed to open great possibilities for targeted drug delivery by means of contrast microbubbles. The chapter reviews recent results obtained in these areas.