Skin temperature and impedance measurement in ultrasound wound treatment

Therapeutic ultrasound has been widely used to treat various diseases including chronic wounds. However, the mechanisms of the ultrasound effects in wound healing and the best regimen of treatment is still unclear. In this study, the authors used skin electrical impedance measurement during ultrasound treatment and detected a fall in local skin impedance under ultrasound while simultaneous temperature measurement did not show any rise. This result supports the non-thermal effects of the ultrasound and indicates that ultrasound may cause changes in permeability, intracellular electrolytes etc.