Microbubble ultrasound contrast agents: an update |
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Authors: | Emilio Quaia |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Radiology, Cattinara Hospital, University of Trieste (Italy), Strada di Fiume 447, Trieste, 34149, Italy |
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Abstract: | Microbubble contrast agents for ultrasound (US) have gained increasing interest in recent years, and contrast-enhanced US
(CEUS) is a rapidly evolving field with applications now extending far beyond the initial improvements achieved in Doppler
US. This has been achieved as a result of the safe profile and the increased stability of microbubbles persisting in the bloodstream
for several minutes, and also by the availability of specialized contrast-specific US techniques, which allow a definite improvement
in the contrast resolution and suppression of signal from stationary tissues. CEUS with low transmit power allows real-time
scanning with the possibility of prolonged organ insonation. Several reports have described the effectiveness of microbubble
contrast agents in many clinical applications and particularly in the liver, spleen, and kidneys. CEUS allows the assessment
of the macrovasculature and microvasculature in different parenchymas, the identification and characterization of hepatic
and splenic lesions, the depiction of septal enhancement in cystic renal masses, and the quantification of organ perfusion
by the quantitative analysis of the echo-signal intensity. Other fields of application include the assessment of abdominal
organs after traumas and the assessment of vesico-ureteral reflux in children. Finally, tumor-targeted microbubbles make possible
the depiction of specific biologic processes. |
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Keywords: | Ultrasound Microbubble Contrast agents Contrast-enhanced US Non-linear imaging Harmonic imaging |
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