B-mode enhancement at phase-inversion US with air-based microbubble contrast agent: initial experience in humans.
Pulse- or phase-inversion ultrasonography (US) sums the signals returned from two 180 degrees ultrasound pulses. Linear scattering from tissue results in a signal void while nonlinear signals from microbubbles stand out. The technique was applied with a US contrast agent in 39 human subjects. B-mode enhancement of vessels and organ parenchyma was seen in all cases. Enhancement occurred from flowing and stationary microbubbles. The flow-independent enhancement of normal and abnormal tissue represents a major advance in contrast material-enhanced US with many potential applications especially in tumor imaging.
Albrecht
T
T
Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, D-12200 Berlin, Germany. t.albrecht@medizin.fu-berlin.de
Hoffmann
C W
CW
Schettler
S
S
Overberg
A
A
Ilg
M
M
von Behren
P L
PL
Bauer
A
A
Wolf
K J
KJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008863:Microspheres; D008875:Middle Aged; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508