AUTHOR=Xu Yuan , On Thomas J. , Preul Mark C. 

TITLE=Fluorescein sodium as a marker for focused ultrasound-induced blood-brain barrier disruption: a case report in a porcine model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Surgery

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/surgery/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2025.1559195

DOI=10.3389/fsurg.2025.1559195

ISSN=2296-875X

ABSTRACT=Transcranial low-intensity focused ultrasound (FUS) enables noninvasive, targeted, and reversible blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, facilitating drug delivery and liquid biopsy of the brain. Using fluorescein sodium (FNa) with macroscopic widefield fluorescence and microscopic confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) imaging, we assessed BBB permeability after applying a frameless, electromagnetic-guided FUS system in a porcine model and confirmed with established MRI protocol and conventional histology. Both macroscopic and microscopic FNa fluorescence imaging findings correlated with contrast-enhanced MRI, providing direct evidence of BBB disruption. This approach demonstrates the utility of FNa for evaluating BBB permeability in preclinical studies.