Frequency, pulse length, and the mechanical index

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Abstract
As currently defined, the mechanical index (MI) uses only two parameters, peak rarefactional pressure and center frequency. The effect of another important factor, the pulse length (L P ), was investigated by numerical computations for cavitation threshold (P t ) similar to the analytical work underlying the MI. The effect of L P on P t is small for the original threshold criterion (maximum temperature, T max =5000 K ), but can be substantial for the often-used criterion on maximum radius, R max =2R o . The potential for bioeffects produced by purely mechanical means (R max ) increases with L P , while those mediated by sonochemicals (T max ) does not.