Could focused ultrasound be a safer and more effective treatment for hypersplenism (a common disease where the spleen is overactive and removes blood cells too early and too quickly) than current conventional treatments? When it comes to biomedical engineering, focused ultrasound transducers can have complicated geometric patterns – is 3D printing the answer to their fabrication?
High intensity focused ultrasound ablation: An effective and safe treatment for secondary hypersplenism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25141274
3D printing of HIFU transducers: Rapid prototyping fabrication of focused ultrasound transducers
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25167156