Removal of choroidal vasculature using concurrently applied ultrasound bursts and nanosecond laser pulses

Pathologic microvasculature plays a crucial role in innumerable diseases causing death and major organ impairment. A major clinical challenge is the development of selective therapies to remove these diseased microvessels without damaging surrounding tissue. This report describes our development of novel photo-mediated ultrasound therapy (PUT) technology for precisely removing choroidal blood vessels in the eye. PUT selectively removes microvessels by concurrently applying nanosecond laser pulses with ultrasound bursts. In PUT experiments on rabbit eyes in vivo, we applied 55–75 mJ/cm2 of light fluence at the retinochoroidal surface at 532-nm and 0.5 MPa of ultrasound pressure at 0.5 MHz. PUT resulted in significantly reduced blood perfusion in the choroidal layer which persisted to four weeks without causing collateral tissue damage, demonstrating that PUT is capable of removing choroidal microvasculature safely and effectively. With its unique advantages, PUT holds potential for the clinical management of eye diseases associated with microvessels and neovascularization.