According to a new study, Ultrasound could help tissue grafts to survive and thrive following surgery.

While it is known that ultrasound imaging typically requires frequencies that are 50 to 2500 times higher than those human ear can detect, recent increasing evidence indicates that ultrasound at lower frequency can also be used to help certain body tissues to heal and regenerate.

It has been reported that ultrasound can improve cell viability, thanks to its ability to get molecules moving, and researchers have used it to increase blood flow to tissues in the process of healing and regenerating.

Particularly, low-intensity ultrasound (LIUS) has been used to help regenerate cartilage and bone, and in tissue engineering to stimulate cells.

It was also reported that surgeons use a patient's own fatty tissue (adipose tissue) in procedures including facial plastic surgery, treating burn victims, breast reconstruction and surgery on the vocal cords.

But how well these tissue grafts survive can vary, and the time period after the surgery before a blood supply is re-established is particularly critical.

If the graft doesn't get sufficient oxygen and glucose, and clear away waste, the grafted tissue will wither and die.

It was further reported that an international research team set out to test whether ultrasound could improve the viability of grafted tissue during the post-op period.

The researchers used adipose cells cultured from tissue left over from tummy-tuck operations as well as mouse muscle cells (C2C12 cells) for their experiments. (With Inputs from Agencies)