title: Principles and recent developments in ultrasound contrast agents.
abstract: The behaviour of gas bubbles and gas encapsulated spheres as echographic contrast agents is reviewed. Compared with rigid spheres, gas bubbles are superior scattering agents and they offer a number of useful properties which can be exploited in a variety of ways. The analysis of their velocity of sound, back-scatter intensity, second harmonic emission and resonant frequency opens up new perspectives in the development of contrast agents for echocardiographic research with potential clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Ten Cate
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lancée
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Roelandt
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bom
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media; D004452:Echocardiography; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media