Section 5--nonthermal bioeffects in the absence of well-defined gas bodies

Abstract

The purpose of this section is to describe bioeffects that occur in those instances in which gas bodies are not known to commonly be present. This is in contrast to situations such as lung and intestine, where bioeffects have been proposed to be associated with the known presence of gas (Section 4). In addition, this section does not include those studies in which microbubbles (such as ultrasound contrast agents) are purposefully introduced (Section 6). Therefore, this section includes a large collection of bioeffects that may be related to cavitation activity or may not be related at all to the presence of gas bodies. The intention is to provide an overall summary of the information currently available that pertains to those situations in which gas bodies are not known to be present and to provide this information in support of conclusions and recommendations on this subject.