Evaluation of contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasound for the quantification of angiogenesis in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate contrast-enhanced color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) aimed at quantifying angiogenesis in vivo.


METHODS
Eight colon tumors xenografted into mice were studied with CDUS both without and after injection of SHU 508A. The number of intratumor vessels and pedicles visualized with CDUS and the value of the acoustic intensity quantified by computer were compared with the evaluation of angiogenesis by study of digitized histological slides.


RESULTS
SHU 508A increased the number of intratumor vessels and pedicles depicted by CDUS, which could also be quantified by acoustic intensity. The comparison of CDUS and digitized histological slide studies showed that the detection threshold after SHU 508A administration allowed visualization of small vessels (40 microm in diameter). The "hot spots" seen on histology were superimposable onto vessels seen with CDUS. Regions in which no vessels were detected by CDUS corresponded to regions in which vascularization was absent by histological analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Injection of SHU 508A significantly increased vessel detection with CDUS.
Lassau
N
N
Department of Medical Imaging, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Koscielny
S
S
Opolon
P
P
De Baere
T
T
Peronneau
P
P
Leclere
J
J
Roche
A
A
D000818:Animals; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011134:Polysaccharides; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
D003287:Contrast Media; D011134:Polysaccharides; C059891:SHU 508