Contrast-enhanced B-mode US angiography in the assessment of experimental in vivo and in vitro atherosclerotic disease

Current status and future developments of contrast-enhanced ultrasound of carotid atherosclerosis

“…Microbubble contrast agents enhance the arterial lumen, improving the delineation of the lumen, and consequently the detection of atherosclerotic plaques and vessel wall irregularities (Fig 1). 18,27 The capability of ultrasound scans to detect individual microbubbles passing though the capillary system allows direct visualization of intraplaque neovascularization. Because the microbubbles are strict intravascular tracers, their presence in plaque represents the presence of an intraplaque neovessel (Figs 1 and 2).…”

Contrast Ultrasound Imaging of the Carotid Artery Vasa Vasorum and Atherosclerotic Plaque Neovascularization

“…1). Sirlin et al (29) were the first to use CU agents to identify the lumen in a series of in vitro and preclinical studies. Their subsequent clinical validation study in 14 patients revealed an excellent correlation of the CU images with the results of cerebral angiograms (30).…”

Noninvasive Estimation of the Pressure Gradient Across Stenoses Using Sonographic Contrast

“…[4][5][6][7] In previous studies, we showed that contrastenhanced B-mode imaging of the vascular lumen was able to show the luminal contour with high fidelity both in vitro and in animals. 22 A subsequent preliminary study in human subjects confirmed the preclinical results, showing that contrast-enhanced B-mode imaging allowed the accurate calculation of percent diameter stenoses when compared with angiography and percent cross-sectional area narrowing compared with ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging of plaques. 23 With contrast-enhanced crosssectional sonographic imaging of the carotid, it is possible to trace the lumen and to measure the cross-sectional area at any point.…”