A minimally invasive method for lowering hypertension using
focused ultrasound is provided. Following injection of
ultrasound-responsive nanodroplets containing a therapeutic agent (e.g., a
barbiturate),
focused ultrasound is delivered to norepinephrine-producing regions, such as the periaqueductal gray area, resulting in localized release of the therapeutic
payload from the nanodroplets, achieving therapeutic
blood pressure reduction. Acoustic emissions from the evaporating droplets can be used to infer one or more therapeutic parameters, for example, based on pre-established correlations. For example, changes in
plasma hormone content and / or
blood pressure can be inferred, thereby providing a means for real-time
treatment monitoring. An exemplary method of the present invention can be used to achieve
blood pressure reduction in subjects exhibiting
drug-resistant hypertension.