Augmentation of Tissue Perfusion in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Using Microbubble Cavitation
JACC Cardiovascular Imaging — August, 2019
Abstract
Objectives
The authors investigated ideal acoustic conditions on a clinical scanner custom-programmed for ultrasound (US) cavitation-mediated flow augmentation in preclinical models. We then applied these conditions in a first-in-human study to test the hypothesis that contrast US can increase limb perfusion in normal subjects and patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Background
US-induced cavitation of microbubble contrast agents augments tissue perfusion by convective shear and secondary (read more…)

The better effects of microbubble ultrasound transfection of miR-940 on cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis promotion in human cervical cancer cells.
Dovepress — August 21, 2019
Purpose:
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of women’s cancer-related death. MiR-940 has been reported as a critical factor in various cancers. Based on the high transfection efficiency and low side effect, the clinical application of microbubble ultrasound contrast agent in gene treatment has attracted a widespread attention. In this study, we determined the mechanism of (read more…)

August 2019 – Journal of Investigative Radiology
Abstract
Objectives
The aim of this study was to provide an ultrasound-based super-resolution methodology that can be implemented using clinical 2-dimensional ultrasound equipment and standard contrast-enhanced ultrasound modes. In addition, the aim is to achieve this for true-to-life patient imaging conditions, including realistic examination times of a few minutes and adequate image penetration depths that can be used to scan entire organs without sacrificing current super-resolution ultrasound imaging performance.
Methods
Standard contrast-enhanced ultrasound was used along with bolus (read more…)

August 7, 2019 — DAIC – Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology
Study of more than 9,000 patients finds contrast group five times less likely to need repeat exam with earlier hospital discharge.
Heart failure is the fourth most common cause for all admission to U.S. hospitals, and it is the most common reason for ordering an inpatient transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Research presented at the 30th Annual American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) Scientific Sessions shows patients who received an echocardiogram with contrast were less (read more…)

August 6, 2019 — URO TODAY
To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of contrast enhanced transrectal ultrasound (CE-TRUS) in comparison with whole-mount radical prostatectomy specimens.
58 subjects who underwent CE-TRUS and subsequent radical prostatectomy with whole-mount pathology were included in the study. Each patient underwent evaluation with baseline TRUS and again during CE-TRUS with intravenous infusion of perflutren lipid microsphere (Definity®, Lantheus Medical Imaging, N Billerica, MA). A subjective 5 point scale was used to rate each sextant of the prostate in 3 (read more…)

July 30, 2019 — European Journal of Ultrasound
Abstract
Background:
Ultrasound is an essential imaging tool for evaluating physiological and pathological fetal or maternal conditions during pregnancy. Published data is limited with respect to the application of CEUS during pregnancy. CEUS has already been safely applied for assessing uteroplacental blood flow, cesarean scar pregnancy and invasive placenta percreta. CT and MRI scans during pregnancy must be thoroughly evaluated due to harmful ionizing radiation and cerebral gadolinium deposition, respectively.
Purpose:
The aim of the present retrospective (read more…)

July 26, 2019 — RadioGraphics
By Shuchi K. Rodgers, MD
Department of Radiology, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland
CEUS can play a crucial role in patients with HCC who undergo ablation. Bansal et al have written a clear and compelling article describing their use of CEUS for preprocedural planning and postablation imaging. In their algorithm, focal regions of APHE diagnosed at postablation CEUS are re-treated during the same session, leading to decreased tumor recurrence rates. Considering that recurrence rates after ablation (read more…)

July 26, 2019 — RadioGraphics
Abstract
The role of contrast-enhanced US in ablative therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma includes patient selection, treatment planning, intraprocedural guidance, and immediate postprocedural assessment; the authors also describe their use of this modality for secondary surveillance.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high incidence of recurrence following therapy. Therefore, secondary surveillance (scheduled follow-up imaging after treatment) is an important part of disease management. The recent approval in the United States for use of a microbubble-based contrast agent for US liver (read more…)

July 16, 2019 — Uro Today
Abstract
Trans-rectal ultrasound-guided 12-core systematic biopsy (SBx) is the standard diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer (PCa) because of a lack of sufficiently accurate imaging. Quantification of 3-D dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (US) might open the way for a targeted procedure in which biopsies are directed at lesions suspicious on imaging. This work describes the expansion of contrast US dispersion imaging algorithms to 3-D and compares its performance against malignant and benign disease. Furthermore, we examined the feasibility (read more…)

Jul 16, 2019 — AuntMinnie.com
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
Bracco Diagnostics, subsidiary of contrast developer Bracco Imaging, is promoting the results of a new study demonstrating that its Lumason ultrasound contrast agent is safe to use with transthoracic echocardiography.
“The positive impact of ultrasound-enhancing agents is indisputable as they have significantly improved the quality and cost-effectiveness of cardiac clinical care, but these agents are underutilized by the clinical community due to concerns about potential allergic reactions,” study author Dr. Stephen Heitner (read more…)