An investigation of possible effects of high-frequency ultrasound on cellular integrity of cultured fibroblasts

Several investigators have demonstrated the feasibility of imaging at the cellular level using acoustical microscopy. It has also been proposed that acoustical microscopy technology might be adopted for in vivo applications. Before such applications are implemented, it is important to demonstrate that any major deleterious effects are highly unlikely. To this end, we have repeatedly scanned NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts in culture using an Olympus UH3 acoustical microscope operating at 600 MHz. No adverse effects were observed even after exposures for 1 h. Spatial peak temporal averaged intensities were estimated to be below 300 mW/cm².