BIOEFFECTS OF DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND IN-VITRO

Biological effects induced by ultrasound were frequently reported for continuous wave (cw) mode. Thresholds for the onset of bioeffects of p ulsed ultrasound, starting from diagnostic conditions, have not yet be en defined by standardized in vitro models. We therefore investigated the effects of pulsed ultrasound on cultured cells using diagnostic ul trasound devices, a selfmade transducer and a sonochemical laboratory reactor tunable from pulsed diagnostic conditions to cw ultrasound. Ad ditionally, we determined physical parameters of the ultrasonic field by different types of hydrophones. Sonochemical reactions and the effe cts induced by the ultrasonic fields in cultured cells indicated a thr eshold for bioeffects.