Ultrasound for Gentle Medical Interventions
State-of-the-art medical therapies enable gentle treatment procedures, in some cases, also on an outpatient basis. In past years, minimally-invasive procedures, e.g., using keyhole surgery, have replaced the open surgery previously commonly used to treat many diseases. Patients benefit from lower risks and a faster recovery.
These minimally-invasive treatment techniques are based on ultrasound, which is generated by piezo elements. The piezoceramic elements used in medical instruments are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. For example, the smallest piezo elements, which are less than a few millimeters, are used in catheters which, in turn, are used to gently treat cardiovascular diseases.
The following medical instruments for minimally-invasive therapy also use ultrasound generated using piezo elements:
- Ultrasound scalpels and power ultrasound enable fast incisions and coagulation of wounds. This results in shorter operating times and smaller operative fields, faster healing of wounds, less tissue trauma, and less blood loss.
- For completely incision-free surgery, focused ultrasound enables the contactless coagulation of tissue by specifically bundling the sound waves. This method is applied in the treatment of tumors, or even the targeted release of medication.
- In the area of dentistry, the extremely gentle treatment technique using ultrasound enables dentists to work on bones without using a scalpel. The ultrasonic waves only interact with hard tissue such as bones or teeth without damaging soft tissue, nerves or blood vessels in the process.
