Clinical applications of ultrasound contrast agents |
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Authors: | F Forsberg DA Merton JB Liu L Needleman BB Goldberg |
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Affiliation: | Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. forsberg@esther.rad.tju.edu |
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Abstract: | Within the last decade safe and practical ultrasound contrast agents have been introduced. Most of these are based on gas-filled microbubbles, which markedly enhance Doppler signals and, in some cases, also gray-scale images. The clinical improvements expected from ultrasound contrast is reviewed. Tissue-specific contrast agents constitute another area of potential clinical significance. One particular agent is taken up by the reticulo-endothelial system and produces so-called acoustic emission signals when imaged. An introduction to the unique clinical applications of acoustic emission is given. Harmonic imaging is a new contrast-specific imaging modality, which utilizes the nonlinear properties of some agents in an attempt to alleviate current limitations of ultrasound contrast studies. Examples of harmonic images are presented. |
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