3 ms·

> In contrast, radiation affects everything in its path through the body. The ultrasound has to pass through the body as well, right? Is it that ultrasound can

> In contrast, radiation affects everything in its path through the body. The ultrasound has to pass through the body as well, right? Is it that ultrasound can be generated across a broader surface and below a certain threshold has no impact? Or is there some other reason the above statement makes sense?

jjtheblunt 3y ago
There was an article weeks ago about the distinction being that the ultrasound could be focussed in where it imparts energy. However I’m not finding what i remember or i’d link to it.
echelon 3y ago
This technique causes cavitation at a precise depth. It's amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZLkzdNYuI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZLkzdNYuI - the video is 11 years old, from the same team. You can see them forming bubbles in precise shapes.
Garvi 3y ago
Could be that it's area of effect is only where the frequencies resonate.
ijustlovemath 3y ago
That bit of the article seems incorrect... Alpha radiation dumps most of its energy in one region, according to the Bragg curve [1] [1] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_power_(particle_radiation)#/media/File%3ABragg_Curve_for_Alphas_in_Air-PT-en.svg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_power_(particle_rad...
AndroTux 3y ago
I wonder if it's comparable to using a magnifying glass, in the sense that it's the hottest only at one specific point, even though the rays are traveling through the medium (air) at all points. So maybe it's like a magnifying glass for sound and the cancer is the ant that gets fried?
s1artibartfast 3y ago
The ultrasound waves are mechanical, so the amplitude can be focused while radiation can not be. Think of making to waves in the bathtub so that they collide in the center and splash. That would be an mechanical wave. On the other hand, radiation would be be like shining two flashlights from either sides of the sink. The light simply passes through itself.
themantalope 3y ago
That’s the basic idea. You’ll still get some heating of tissue as ultrasound waves pass through other tissue but won’t be destructive. Radiation therapies use similar principles but non-target tissue is still exposed to ionizing radiation which causes collateral damage.

jjtheblunt 3y ago

There was an article weeks ago about the distinction being that the ultrasound could be focussed in where it imparts energy. However I’m not finding what i remember or i’d link to it.

echelon 3y ago

This technique causes cavitation at a precise depth. It's amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZLkzdNYuI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZLkzdNYuI - the video is 11 years old, from the same team. You can see them forming bubbles in precise shapes.

Garvi 3y ago

Could be that it's area of effect is only where the frequencies resonate.

ijustlovemath 3y ago

That bit of the article seems incorrect... Alpha radiation dumps most of its energy in one region, according to the Bragg curve [1] [1] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_power_(particle_radiation)#/media/File%3ABragg_Curve_for_Alphas_in_Air-PT-en.svg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopping_power_(particle_rad...

AndroTux 3y ago

I wonder if it's comparable to using a magnifying glass, in the sense that it's the hottest only at one specific point, even though the rays are traveling through the medium (air) at all points. So maybe it's like a magnifying glass for sound and the cancer is the ant that gets fried?

s1artibartfast 3y ago

The ultrasound waves are mechanical, so the amplitude can be focused while radiation can not be. Think of making to waves in the bathtub so that they collide in the center and splash. That would be an mechanical wave. On the other hand, radiation would be be like shining two flashlights from either sides of the sink. The light simply passes through itself.

themantalope 3y ago

That’s the basic idea. You’ll still get some heating of tissue as ultrasound waves pass through other tissue but won’t be destructive. Radiation therapies use similar principles but non-target tissue is still exposed to ionizing radiation which causes collateral damage.