title: Intraoperative cerebral angiosonography with ultrasound contrast agents: how I do it.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intraoperative vessel visualization is highly desirable, especially when the target is related to or close to main vessels, such as in the skull base and vascular surgery. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an imaging technique that allows visualization of tissue perfusion and vascularization through the infusion of purely intravascular ultrasound contrast agents (UCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  After cerebral scanning with B-mode ultrasound (US) CEUS is performed, UCA are injected and insonated with low mechanical index US. A UCA-specific harmonic signal is transduced using a contrast-specific algorithm to obtain real-time angiosonography (ASG).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Real-time intraoperative ASG is a rapid, reliable, repeatable method for vessel visualization and evaluation of tissue perfusion.
authors: Department of Neurosurgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy, francesco.prada@istituto-besta.it.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Prada
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: Del Bene
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Saini
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Ferroli
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: DiMeco
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods*; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media