archives@tulane.edu / Hepatocellular carcinoma is an intractable cancer with a high mortality rate. Transarterial chemoembolization, a non-curative method, is the first line therapy for intermediate stage patients. This effectively extends patient survival but requires a complicated intraarterial catheterization procedure and is poorly suited to repeated administration. Gas embolization has been proposed as a fast, easily administered, more spatially selective, and less invasive alternative. This process involves generating emboli in situ using acoustic droplet vaporization, the noninvasive focused ultrasound-mediated conversion of intravenously administered perfluorocarbon microdroplets into microbubbles. The work presented in this dissertation provides the first evidence of the feasibility and efficacy of gas embolization in vivo. Following confirmation of the cessation of tumor growth after treatment in a preliminary study, two additional preclinical studies were conducted. Varying treatment parameters and the use of systemic chemotherapy alongside gas embolization resulted in consistent, substantial tumor regression and a suppression of tumor recurrence following the cessation of treatment. Subsequent steps toward optimizing the treatment method, primarily intended to mitigate off-target tissue damage and to maximize the uniformity of treatment coverage across a lesion, involved the implementation of two specialized imaging modes for tumor detection and treatment planning and the development of an ultrasound-guided treatment method. Finally, retention of the lipid droplet shell upon vaporization was investigated in the context of selective targeting for localized drug delivery. The dissertation closes with a discussion of the implications of the presented work and proposed future studies. / 1 / Jonah Harmon
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_119707 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Contributors | Harmon, Jonah (author), Bull, Joseph (Thesis advisor), School of Science & Engineering Biomedical Engineering (Degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | electronic, pages: 193 |
| Rights | 6 months, Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law. |
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