8/26/2016

(Ultra)SoundingOutaNewWaytoTreatChronicPain|NSFNationalScienceFoundation

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PressRelease10043

(Ultra)SoundingOutaNewWaytoTreatChronic
Pain
Newdevicemayallowaffordable,athomeultrasoundtreatmentofchronicpainfrom
conditionssuchasarthritis

ViewVideo(/news/news_videos.jsp?
cntn_id=116640&media_id=66512&org=NSF)
MediabriefingwithGeorgeK.Lewis,inventor
ofultrasoundtechnologytotreatjointpain.
CreditandLargerVersion
(/news/news_images.jsp?
cntn_id=116640&org=NSF)

Anewcompactultrasounddeliveringdevicehelpsalleviateosteoarthritisoftheknee.
CreditandLargerVersion(/news/news_images.jsp?cntn_id=116640&org=NSF)

March19,2010
Viewawebcast<http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_videos.jsp?
cntn_id=116640&media_id=66512&org=NSF>withGeorgeK.Lewis,abiomedical
engineeringgraduatestudentatCornellUniversity.
Imaginethatafterlongdaytendingtopatients,amiddleagednursefeelsaburningpainin
herkneessointenseshecanbarelywalk.Formillionsofpeoplewhosufferfromarthritisor
otherchronicjointpain,thisisafamiliarstory.Rightnowtherearefewdaytodaytherapies
availableforthesepatients,andmanyinvolvestrongmedicationsthatcanbeharmfulover
time.
IfGeorgeK.Lewis,abiomedicalengineeringgraduatestudentatCornellUniversityhashis
way,theremaysoonbeanotheroption.Lewisandhiscolleagueshavecreatedaminiaturized
ultrasounddevicethatwouldallowpatientstoapplyultrasoundtherapytoinflamedjointsat
home,work,orevenwhilegoingabouttheirday.
Mostofusarefamiliarwiththeamazingpowersofdiagnosticultrasoundtechnologiesin
modernmedicine,whichallowdoctorstotellusthegenderofachildpriortobirthorthe
conditionofourinternalorganswithoutexploratorysurgery.Doctorshavealsoused
ultrasoundtherapeuticallytoeffectivelytreatjointpainfromarthritisandotherailmentswithout
theuseofdrugs.Thedrawbacktothesecurrenttreatments,however,isthattheycanonlybe
administeredinadoctor'sofficeorclinic,sincetheultrasounddevicesavailablearebulkyand
expensive.
EnterLewis,who,withfundingfromtheNationalScienceFoundation,hasspenthistimeat
Cornellfocusingoncreatingsmallerandmoreaccessibleultrasounddevicesforusein
medicine.Hisportableultrasounddeviceforjointpain,whichisnowenteringclinicaltrialsin
associationwithWeillCornellMedicalCollegegeriatricianDr.CaryReid,isaboutthesizeof
aniPod,andcanprovidepainreliefforseveralhourswithoutbeingtetheredtoadoctor's
office.Afterreceivinginstructionsfromtheirdoctor,patientscanapplythedevicethemselves
andadjustthelevelofultrasoundintensityasneeded.
ThekeytoLewis'ssuccessinminiaturizingultrasounddevicesisincreasingtheirefficiency.
Conventionaldevicesloseabouthalftheelectricityusedtocreatesoundwaves.Lewishas
foundawaytoconvert95percentofthedevice'selectricityintosoundwaves.
Sohowdosoundwavesreducejointpain?Aknee,forexample,issurroundedbyanarea
calledthesynovialsac.Thinkofthissacasasponge.Osteoarthritiscausesthatsponge'to
becomeswollenwithexcessfluidandthekneetobepainfullyinflamed.Ultrasound
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8/26/2016

(Ultra)SoundingOutaNewWaytoTreatChronicPain|NSFNationalScienceFoundation

penetratesthejointandthesurroundingtissue,anditswavesbothstimulatethesynovialsac
sponge'andincreaseitspermeability,whichhelpsitlosetheexcessfluid.Oncethesponge'
iswrungout,swellingsubsides,andthebodycandelivernutrientstothejointthathelprepair
it.
Lewissaysthereareotherpotentialusesforhissmallultrasounddevices,includingtreatment
ofglioblastoma,atypeofbraincancer.Duringsurgery,Lewisexplains,asurgeoncould
removeatumorandreplaceitwithadissolvingdrugwafer,whichultrasoundwaveswould
thenhelpspreadtokilloffanycancercellsleftbehind.
Fornow,thedevicehasdemonstrateditseffectivenessinpainreliefwhenusedonanimals,
andifclinicaltrialswithhumansaresuccessful,itcouldbecomeanimportanttooltotreat
chronicpainwithouttheuseofdrugs.
NSF

MediaContacts
DanaW.Cruikshank,NSF,(703)2927738,dcruiksh@nsf.gov(mailto:dcruiksh@nsf.gov)
BlainePFriedlander,CornellUniversity,6072548093,bpf2@cornell.edu
(mailto:bpf2@cornell.edu)
CoInvestigators
GeorgeKLewis,CornellUniversity,(607)2558402,george@cornellbme.com
(mailto:george@cornellbme.com)

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