Transcranial ultrasound-improved thrombolysis: diagnostic vs. therapeutic ultrasound.

Abstract Success of stroke treatment with rt-PA depends on rapid vessel recanalization. Enzymatic thrombolysis may be enhanced by additional transcranial application of ultrasound (US). We investigated this novel technique using a 185-kHz probe and compared it to standard diagnostic US. In vitro studies were performed in a continuous pressure tubing system. Clots were placed in a postmortem skull and treated with rt-PA together with or without transtemporal 185-kHz US insonation (2W/cm 2 ) and in comparison to 1-MHz diagnostic US (0.5 W/cm 2 ). Recanalization time was significantly ( p p