June 2019 — Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)
Abstract
Background Preclinical studies have demonstrated that high mechanical index (MI) impulses from a diagnostic ultrasound transducer during an intravenous microbubble infusion (sonothrombolysis) can restore epicardial and microvascular flow in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
Objectives
This study tested the clinical effectiveness of sonothrombolysis in patients with STEMI.
Methods
Patients with their first STEMI were prospectively randomized to either diagnostic ultrasound–guided high MI impulses during an intravenous Definity (Lantheus Medical Imaging, North Billerica, Massachusetts) (read more…)

June 13, 2019 — MedicalXpress
by Drexel University
*To be presented at the 34th Advances in Contrast Ultrasound International Bubble Conference in Chicago in September.
One of the reasons cardiovascular disease kills 610,000 Americans each year is that it’s hard to see it coming before it’s too late. By the time someone is experiencing chest pain, irreversible damage has likely been done. Despite advancements in medical imaging technology for the rest of the body, it’s still quite difficult to get a clear look (read more…)

Tucson Tech: World View touts success, growth
May 1, 2019 – Arizona Daily Star
Microvascular Therapeutics, a Tucson-based company co-founded by University of Arizona radiology professor Dr. Evan Unger, has licensed two patent applications from Stanford University to develop a new test for pancreatic cancer.
The company will marry an antibody for pancreatic cancer developed at Stanford with a new ultrasound imaging contrast agent, MVT-100, which is currently in clinical testing and is being supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, (read more…)

May, 2019 – American Journal of Roentgenology
ABSTRACT :
OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to determine whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) perfusion measurements obtained before testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) can improve or predict sperm retrieval (SR) outcomes of TESA in patients with azoospermia.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Between May 2017 and January 2018, 70 patients with azoospermia (mean age, 29 years; age range, 22–41 years) underwent testes CEUS within 10 days before TESA. Major perfusion areas were visually chosen, and their ranges were (read more…)

Apr 30, 2019 — Echocardiography
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) are often utilized to enhance ultrasound image quality; however, concerns about adverse reactions have limited their use. Moreover, these agents had been either contraindicated or are labeled with a warning in patients with intra-cardiac shunts because of a theoretic risk of systemic microvascular obstruction. This labeling was recently removed in the United States, but data in these patients are lacking.
METHODS:
Over a 15-month period, patients receiving three different FDA-approved UEAs at our center (read more…)

April, 2019 – Radiology
Background: Variations in lymph node (LN) microcirculation can be indicative of metastasis. The identification and quantification of metastatic LNs remains essential for prognosis and treatment planning, but a reliable noninvasive imaging technique is lacking. Three-dimensional super-resolution (SR) US has shown potential to noninvasively visualize microvascular networks in vivo.
Purpose: To study the feasibility of three-dimensional SR US imaging of rabbit LN microvascular structure and blood flow by using microbubbles.
Materials and Methods: In vivo studies were carried out to (read more…)

Tomographic 3D ultrasound imaging “the way forward” for vascular surgeons
24th April 2019 – Vascular News
Steven Rogers (Manchester, UK) presented the case for using contrast-enhanced tomographic 3D ultrasound imaging for peripheral arterial disease, telling the audience at Charing Cross Symposium (CX; 15–18 April, London, UK): “Our surgeons certainly prefer the 3D vein mapping to a 2D vein map”.
According to Rogers, tomographic 3D ultrasound imaging is “minimally-invasive, you can do it with relatively little experience, it is fast, it is inexpensive, it (read more…)

April 16, 2019 – Journal of the American Heart Association
Abstract
Background
We aimed to improve the assessment quality of plaque vulnerability with combined use of magnetic resonance imaging and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).
Methods and Results
We prospectively enrolled 71 patients with internal carotid artery stenosis who underwent carotid endarterectomy and performed preoperative CEUS and magnetic resonance plaque imaging. We distinguished high–signal‐intensity plaques (HIPs) and non‐HIPs based on magnetization‐prepared rapid acquisition with gradient echo images. We graded them according to the CEUS contrast effect and (read more…)

European Society of Cardiology – European Heart Journal – April 12, 2019
Abstract
Aims
It is thought that the majority of cardiovascular (CV) events are caused by vulnerable plaque. Such lesions are rupture prone, in part due to neovascularization. It is postulated that plaque vulnerability may be a systemic process and that vulnerable lesions may co-exist at multiple sites in the vascular bed. This study sought to examine whether carotid plaque vulnerability, characterized by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-assessed intraplaque neovascu-larization (IPN), was associated with (read more…)

Author: Andrej Lyshchik, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a cost-efficient, safe, radiation-free and clinically effective diagnostic imaging tool that is now available for use in both adults and children. ‘Specialty Imaging: Fundamentals in CEUS’ is the first comprehensive text and practical guide to using CEUS in your practice and is available through Elsevier Publishing.
This one-stop resource is tailored to your decision support needs, and offers guidance from internationally-renowned CEUS (read more…)