Comment on "Ultrasound-induced lung hemorrhage is not caused by inertial cavitation" [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1290-1297 (2000)]

This contribution summarizes the reasons for disagreeing with a conclusion by O'Brien et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1290-1297 (2000)] that ultrasou nd-induced lung hemorrhage is not caused by inertial cavitation. An argumen t is provided that illustrates how cavitation inception conditions in the l ungs of animals are not altered significantly if the hydrostatic pressure i s increased by increasing the pressure of air that is being breathed by the animal. (C) 2001 Acoustical Society of America.