Ultrasound Interactions in Biology and Medicine, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1983

Due to the ever increasing interest in the use of non-invasive ultrasonic methods in medical diagnostics on the one hand and the specific effects of ultrasound in medical therapy on the other, the questions of safety and optimal applications are topical and of great importance. For this reason the symposium "Ultrasound Interaction in Biology and Medicine," initiated and supported by the "International Organization of Medical Physics," took place. The organizers were the Institute of Applied Biophysics of the Martin-Luther-University, Halle (Saale), German Democratic Republic, in association with the Society for Physical and Mathematical Biology of the GDR along with other scientific organizations. Renowned and internationally noted specialists in the field of ultrasonics reported on the latest findings regarding the biological interaction of ultrasound, which promised future improvements in the methods of ultrasonic diagnostics and gave and up-to-date insight into the biological effectiveness of ultrasound. We are pleased to be able to publish selected contributions to this symposium collected in one volume. The methods of investigation, theoretical considerations and results concerning the interaction of ultrasound on molecular, cellular and system levels contained herein will remain up-to-date for a long time to come, providing thought provoking material for further inter-disciplinary basic research and medical application.

Ultrasonic Properties of Biological Media.- Transducers and Soundfields.- Measurement of Ultrasonic Power with the Radiation Force and Thermobalance Method.- Transmitter Characteristics of Ultrasound Broad-band Transducers for Ultrasonic Spectroscopy.- Numerical Calculation of Nearfield Pressure Variations of Different Annular Ring Transducers.- Model for the Calculation of Sensitivity of Ultrasonic Doppler Transducers.- Review of the Physical Bases for Biological Tissue Characterization by Ultrasound.- Ultrasound Tissue Characterization using Statistical Analysis of the R. F. Echo Pulses.- Modelling of Ultrasonic Backscattering from Discrete Random Scatterers.- Tissue Characterization of Normal and Dystrophic Muscle using Broad-Band Backscattered R. F. Data.- Some Results on Ultrasonic Tissue Characterization.- Tissue Characterization by Ultrasonic Pulse Spectroscopy.- Study of Ultrasonic Topography of the Kidney.- Computer-Aided Tissue Characterization of the Human Eye.- Soft Tissue Simulation in Ultrasonic Diagnosis using Cross-linked Hydrophobic Gels.- Ultrasonic Backscattering by Blood.- Ultrasonic Backscattering in Blood — Basis for Doppler Techniques.- Physical Mechanisms for Biological Effects of Ultrasound at Low-Intensity Levels.- Cavitation Thresholds in Biological Tissues.- Morphological and Functional Study of the Ultrasonic Effects of the Goldfish Mauthner Cell.- Effects of Ultrasound on Wound Contraction.- The Influence of Ultrasound on Matrix-Bound Enzymes.- Electrokinetic Properties of Isolated Cells Exposed to Low Levels of Ultrasound.- Interactions of Ultrasound with Platelets and the Blood Coagulation System.- Haemolysis of Red Blood Cells In Vitro and In Vivo by Ultrasound at 0.75 MHz and at Therapeutic Intensity Levels.- ESR-Spectroscopic Examinations of Ultrasonicated Blood.- Nonlinear Propagation of Ultrasound in Liquid Media.- Propagation of Ultrasound in Solutions of Biological Substances.- Advanced Methods for Measuring Shear Wave Velocity in Biological Substances.- An Ultrasonic Movement Detector for Test Animals: Registration Method and Effects of Airborne Ultrasound on Animal Behavior.