State of the art on microbubble cavitation monitoring and feedback control for blood-brain-barrier opening using focused ultrasound

Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a non-invasive and highly promising method for targeted and reversible blood-brain barrier permeabilization. Numerous preclinical studies aim to optimize the localized delivery of drugs using this method in rodents and non-human primates. Several clinical trials have been initiated to treat various brain diseases in humans using simultaneous BBB permeabilization and drug injection. This review presents the state of the art of in vitro and in vivo cavitation control algorithms for BBB permeabilization using microbubbles (MB) and FUS. Firstly, we describe the different cavitation states, their physical significance in terms of MB behavior and their translation into the spectral composition of the backscattered signal. Next, we report the different indexes calculated and used during the ultrasonic monitoring of cavitation. Finally, the different in vitro and in vivo cavitation control strategies described in the literature are presented and compared.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the current state of in vitro and in vivo cavitation control algorithms for blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeabilization using microbubbles (MB) and focused ultrasound (FUS). It describes the different cavitation states, the indexes used for ultrasonic monitoring, and the various control strategies for BBB permeabilization.