title: Quantitative Differences Between the First and Second Injection of Contrast Agent in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography of Feline Kidneys and Spleen.
abstract: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is a valuable and safe technique for the evaluation of organ perfusion. Repeated injections of ultrasound contrast agent are often administered during the same imaging session. However, it remains unclear if quantitative differences are present between the consecutive microbubble injections. Therefore, the first and second injection of contrast agent for the left renal cortex, renal medulla and the splenic parenchyma in healthy cats were compared. A lower peak intensity and area under the curve were observed for the first injection of contrast agent in the feline kidney, both for the renal cortex and medulla, and spleen. Moreover, for the renal cortex, the time-intensity curve was steeper after the second injection. Findings from the present study demonstrate that a second injection of contrast agent provides stronger enhancement. The exact mechanism behind our findings remains unclear; however, saturation of the lung macrophages is believed to play an important role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. Electronic address: Emmelie.Stock@UGent.be.
authors.forename: Emmelie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Katrien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vanderperren
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haers
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duchateau
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hesta
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jimmy H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D045423:Microbubbles; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D010743:Phospholipids; C420843:contrast agent BR1; D013459:Sulfur Hexafluoride
keywords: Cat; Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Kidney; Microbubbles; Multiple injections; Spleen