Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UCSF

UC San Francisco Previously Published Works bannerUCSF

Therapeutic Ultrasound Promotes Reperfusion and Angiogenesis in a Rat Model of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Abstract

Background

Shock wave therapy (SWT) is an acoustic technology clinically used for the non-invasive treatment of ischemic heart disease (IHD). Therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) has more recently been developed for the same indication, although its effects on reperfusion and angiogenesis have yet to be directly compared to those of SWT.

Methods and results

TUS and SWT acoustic parameters were matched, and their ability to promote angiogenesis and reperfusion in a rat hindlimb ischemia model was compared. After left femoral artery excision, 3-weekly TUS, SWT or sham treatments (n=10 rats each) of the left hindlimb were performed for 2 weeks. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging demonstrated improved perfusion with TUS (66±4% L:R hindlimb perfusion, mean±SEM, P=0.02), but not with SWT (59±4%, P=0.13) compared with sham (50±4%). Immunohistochemistry of CD31 demonstrated increased microvascular density with TUS (222.6 vessels/high-power field, P=0.001) and SWT (216.9, P=0.01) compared to sham-treated rats (196.0). Tissue vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA levels were elevated in the left hindlimb of TUS-, but not SWT- or sham-treated rats.

Conclusions

Direct comparison demonstrates that TUS is more effective than SWT at promoting reperfusion, whereas both therapies promote angiogenesis in ischemic gastrocnemius muscle. These results suggest that TUS may be more effective than SWT for the treatment of IHD and peripheral arterial disease.

Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View