Iontophoresis

Iontophoresis
Iontophoresis
Intervention
ICD-9-CM 99.27

Iontophoresis (a.k.a. Electromotive Drug Administration (EMDA)) is a technique using a small electric charge to deliver a medicine or other chemical through the skin. It is basically an injection without the needle. The technical description of this process is a non-invasive method of propelling high concentrations of a charged substance, normally a medication or bioactive agent, transdermally by repulsive electromotive force using a small electrical charge applied to an iontophoretic chamber containing a similarly charged active agent and its vehicle. One or two chambers are filled with a solution containing an active ingredient and its solvent, also called the vehicle. The positively charged chamber, called the anode, will repel a positively charged chemical, whereas the negatively charged chamber, called the cathode, will repel a negatively charged chemical into the skin.

Iontophoresis is well classified for use in transdermal drug delivery. Unlike transdermal patches, this method relies on active transportation within an electric field. In the presence of an electric field electromigration and electroosmosis are the dominant forces in mass transport. These movements are measured in units of chemical flux, commonly µmol/cm2h. For more information see Fick's Law of Diffusion.

Contents

Uses

Reverse iontophoresis is the term used to describe the process by which molecules are removed from within the body for detection. In reverse iontophoresis, the negative charge of the skin at buffered pH causes it to be permselective to cations, causing solvent flow towards the anode. This flow is the dominant force, allowing movement of neutral molecules, including glucose, across the skin. This technology is currently being used in such devices as the GlucoWatch, which allows for blood glucose detection across skin layers using reverse iontophoresis.

Iontophoresis is commonly used by physical therapists for the application of anti-inflammatory medications. Common diagnoses treated with Iontophoresis include plantar fasciitis, bursitis, and some types of hyperhidrosis. In this specific application, the solution chosen is usually tap water, but better results can be obtained using glycopyrronium bromide, a cholinergic inhibitor. Iontophoresis of acetylcholine is used in research as a way to test the health of the endothelium by stimulating endothelium-dependent generation of nitric oxide and subsequent microvascular vasodilation. Acetylcholine is positively charged and, therefore, placed in the anode.

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References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • iontophoresis — [ī än΄tō fə rē′sis] n. [ModL < ionto , ion, ionic (< Gr iont , iōn: see ION) + Gr phorēsis, a being carried < phērein, BEAR1] a medical technique in which an electric current is used to drive ions of chemicals through the skin and into… …   English World dictionary

  • Iontophoresis — A transdermal delivery system in which a substance bearing a charge is propelled through the skin by a low electrical current. This method can be used to drive a drug across the skin barrier, as is done with pilocarpine to stimulate sweating in… …   Medical dictionary

  • iontophoresis — jontoforezė statusas Aprobuotas sritis vaistų vartojimo būdai apibrėžtis Jonizuotosios ( ųjų) veikliosios ( iųjų) medžiagos ( ų) įterpimas per sveiką odą elektros srove. atitikmenys: angl. iontophoresis vok. zur Iontophorese pranc. iontophorèse… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • iontophoresis — noun (plural iontophoreses) Etymology: New Latin, from ionto ion (from Greek iont , iōn, present participle of ienai) + phoresis Date: 1909 the introduction of an ionized substance (as a drug) through intact skin by the application of a direct… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • iontophoresis — Movement of ions as a result of an applied electric field. For example the delivery of a charged molecule from the end of a micropipette without hydraulic flow …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • iontophoresis — iontophoretic /uy on teuh feuh ret ik/, adj. /uy on teuh feuh ree sis/, n. a painless alternative to drug injection in which a weak electrical current is used to stimulate drug carrying ions to pass through intact skin. [1905 10; < Gk iont (s. of …   Universalium

  • iontophoresis — noun A treatment in which electrodes are put in contact with tissue and a voltage is applied in order to introduce an ionized medication …   Wiktionary

  • iontophoresis — [ʌɪˌɒntə(ʊ)fə ri:sɪs] noun Medicine a technique of introducing ionic medicinal compounds through the skin by applying a local electric current. Origin early 20th cent.: from ion, on the pattern of electrophoresis …   English new terms dictionary

  • iontophoresis — ion·to·pho·re·sis …   English syllables

  • iontophoresis — n. the technique of introducing through the skin, by means of an electric current, charged particles of a drug, so that it reaches a deep site. The method has been used to transfer salicylate ions through the skin in the treatment of deep… …   The new mediacal dictionary

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