Contrast echocardiography: An update

Abstract

Despite the advent of tissue harmonic imaging, echocardiography fails to produce diagnostically useful images in a significant proportion of patients. This often leads to inaccurate assessment of left ventricular function, necessitating the use of other, more expensive and laborious imaging techniques, purely for diagnostic purposes. This has facilitated the development of microbubbles, which together with ultrasound, produce opacification of the left ventricular cavity, thus enabling clear visualization and accurate quantification of left ventricular function. Contrast agents have also facilitated the development of myocardial contrast echocardiography. This allows assessment of cardiac anatomy, function, and perfusion, all in one sitting, by the bedside. Contrast ultrasound imaging also has now been applied to newer techniques (eg, real-time three-dimensional echocardiography) and is also showing promise in other cardiovascular scans (eg, carotid ultrasound for intima-media thickness). Thus, contrast agents play a pivotal role in noninvasive cardiovascular imaging and its use worldwide is likely to increase.

Surveillance of a coiled renal artery aneurysm by contrast-enhanced ultrasound with Definity

“…[7][8][9][10][11] In cardiology, CEUS is used to improve the accuracy of echocardiograms and to facilitate the evaluation of myocardial perfusion. 12 In body imaging, CEUS is used to detect and characterize focal parenchymal pathology and to assess inflammatory activity in Crohn's disease. 7,11 Vascular indications include assessment of vessel patency in indeterminate cases on color Doppler ultrasound scans, detection of acute vascular extravasation, and traumatic devitalized parenchyma devoid of perfusion.…”

Microvascular Damage After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Assessment Using Dobutamine Stress Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

“…22 In consequence, a control (no disease) cohort is not necessary to interpret our results. 22 In consequence, a control (no disease) cohort is not necessary to interpret our results.…”

A Noninvasive Alternative to Coronary Angiography: Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography Following Strain Map as a Gate Way to Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography Map

“…The ability to prevent, diagnosis and treat cardiac disease has improved over the last two decades due to the remarkable and seemingly exponential advances in imaging technology [1,2,3,4 ]. Ironically, the surprising increases in computing power and software design now at the physician's disposal have been greatly enhanced by the advent of a relatively uncomplicated and a readily-synthesized molecule, the microbubble.…”