Review of ultrasound contrast agents in current clinical practice with special focus on DEFINITY® in cardiac imaging
September 8, 2020 — Future Medicine Abstract Echocardiography is the most widely used noninvasive modality to evaluate the structure and function of the cardiac muscle in daily practice. However, up to 15–20% of echocardiograms are considered suboptimal. To enable accurate assessment of cardiac function and wall motion abnormality, the use of ultrasound microbubble contrast has […]
Diagnostic Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Differential Diagnosis of Malignant and Benign Soft Tissue Masses: A Meta-Analysis
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology – September 6, 2020 Abstract This meta-analysis was aimed at investigating the value of using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant soft tissue masses (STMs). Relevant studies published before March 24, 2020 were identified through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane and Web of […]
A Survey of CEUS Education in Sonographer Training Programs: The Well-Opacified and Delineated Road Less Travelled, and Ready to be Taken
September 2, 2020 — Journal of the American Society of Echocardiology (JASE) Extract Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a safe, portable, radiation-free imaging tool that produces high resolution, real-time images of the cardiovascular system, tumors, and organ blood vessels. When used during transthoracic echocardiography, CEUS can dramatically improve the detection of functional or structural abnormalities […]
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of focal liver masses
September 1, 2020 — Hepatoma Research Abstract Non-invasive imaging is the current method of choice for the characterization of frequently discovered focal liver disease. Although historically, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) scans have been selected for this purpose, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) now offers a less expensive and safer method to acquire the […]
Contrast group asks FDA to pull 'black box' warning
September 1, 2020 — AuntMinnie.com By AuntMinnie.com staff writers A group representing users of ultrasound contrast agents on August 31 asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pull its longstanding “black box” warning on the label of contrast agents. The International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS) filed a citizens petition with the FDA asking […]
Ultrasound society urges FDA to eliminate 'outdated' contrast label warnings
September 1, 2020 — Health Imaging By Matt O’Connor A nonprofit medical society on Monday urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to eliminate “black box” warnings on ultrasound contrast agent labels. The International Contrast Ultrasound Society made that appeal in a Citizens Petition submitted to the FDA. The Chicago-based organization—which represents cardiologists, radiologists and […]
FDA Urged to Nix Black Box Label for Ultrasound Contrast Agents
September 1, 2020 — Diagnostic Imaging By Whitney J. Palmer Grassroots group points to substantial clinical evidence of safety in call for agency to remove the warning. Citing significant clinical evidence of safety, a multi-institutional, grassroots group has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove the black box warning from ultrasound contrast […]
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound; State of the Art in North America
Ultrasound Quarterly – September 1, 2020 Abstract The Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound convened a panel of specialists in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to produce a white paper on noncardiac CEUS in North America. The panel met in Chicago, Illinois, on October 24 and 25, 2017. The recommendations are based on analysis of current literature and […]
FDA Urged to Remove Boxed Warnings on Ultrasound Contrast Agents
August 31, 2020 — Media release – Business Wire A grassroots medical society today urged the FDA to remove boxed warnings from ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs), citing compelling scientific data demonstrating their safety and life-saving potential. “Removing this “black box” will help patients across America access safer, more reliable and more cost-effective diagnostic imaging, while […]
To Give or Not to Give? Ultrasound Enhancing Agents Remain Underutilized Tools for the Quantification of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction
August 20, 2020 — JASE Background Ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) have been demonstrated to improve left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) quantification and impact clinical decisions. Nevertheless, UEAs are used in only 6-7% of all transthoracic echocardiographs (TTEs) performed nationally. Furthermore, the decision is left up to the sonographer to give UEAs for subjectively suboptimal images, […]
Ultrasound Enhanced S100A4-shRNA Delivery Using Acoustically Activated Cationic Lipid Nanodroplets to Reach and Treat Myocytes within the Developing Scar Zone
August 20, 2020 — JASE Background Definity nanodroplets (DND), formulated from commercial Definity microbubbles (DMB), can extravasate through endothelial barriers and be reactivated to microbubbles by transthoracic ultrasound. The exact location of the droplets within the extravascular space is unknown, but acoustic reactivation (ArA) may be a method of targeting intracellular mediators of scar formation. […]
ASE Features Top 20 Echocardiography Research Abstract Presentations
Echocardiography strain imaging at ASE. #ASE2020 August 20, 2020 — DAIC – Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology All ASE 2020 abstracts can be viewed at: www.onlinejase.com/article/S0894-7317(20)30227-3/pdf More than 350 posters featuring cutting edge research on the advances in cardiovascular ultrasound were presented during the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2020 annual meeting, Aug. 8-10. A special […]
CEUS helps predict chronic kidney disease progression
August 14, 2020 — AuntMinnie By Theresa Pablos, AuntMinnie staff writer Clinicians may be able to use contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features to help predict which patients with chronic kidney disease will experience worse outcomes, according to the findings of a prospective study published on August 9 in Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Researchers from Shanghai […]
FDA approves RFID option for Definity contrast
August 12, 2020 — Aunt Minnie.com By AuntMinnie.com staff writers Lantheus Medical Imaging has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for version of its Definity ultrasound contrast agent that uses radiofrequency ID (RFID) technology to control the activation of the agent. VialmixRFID for Definity uses an RFID-based activation device that is made […]
Improving Prognostic and Chronicity Evaluation of Chronic Kidney Disease with Contrast‐Enhanced Ultrasound Index-Derived Peak Intensity
Aug 9, 2020 — Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Abstract The capability of contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to assess the prognosis and chronicity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was evaluated in patients diagnosed with CKD in 2014 at Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai, China. Time–intensity curves and quantitative indexes were created using QLab quantification software. Kidney biopsies […]
The use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in COVID-19 lung imaging
August 4, 2020 — Journal of Ultrasound Abstract Lung ultrasound has become an essential tool for rapid bedside assessment in critically unwell patients, proving helpful in assessment of COVID-19 due to logistics of cross-sectional imaging. Contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) further characterizes sonographic features of COVID-19 as multiple areas of infarction, a finding not reproducible on […]
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Evaluation of Renal Blood Perfusion Changes After Percutaneous Transluminal Renal Angioplasty and Stenting for Severe Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis
August 1, 2020 — Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology Abstract This study used contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to evaluate changes in renal cortical blood perfusion after percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and stenting (PTRAS) for severe renal artery stenosis (RAS) (≥70%). CEUS was performed in 21 patients with 24 severe RASs that underwent PTRAS. Renal cortical perfusion […]
Fully Automated Quantification of Contrast and Non-Contrast Echocardiograms Eliminates Inter-Operator Variability
June, 2020 — Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE) Abstract Background Automated echocardiographic image analysis removes inter-operator variability which represents a major paradigm shift in current clinical practice and will facilitate the adoption of echocardiographic quantification and impact serial assessment of cardiac function by nonexperts in primary care and direct consumer settings. By […]
Acoustical tweezers trap microbubbles
29 July, 2020 — Physics World By Isabelle Dumé, Contributing Editor Researchers at Imperial College London, UK have demonstrated for the first time that microscopic bubbles of gas can be manipulated using sound waves. The new “acoustical tweezers” overcome certain limitations of their optical cousins (such as not propagating well through opaque tissues), and could […]
Accelerating thrombolysis using a precision and clot-penetrating drug delivery strategy by nanoparticle-shelled microbubbles
July 29, 2020 — Science Advances Abstract Conventional thrombolytic drugs for vascular blockage such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) are challenged by the low bioavailability, off-target side effects and limited penetration in thrombi, leading to delayed recanalization. We hypothesize that these challenges can be addressed with the targeted and controlled delivery of thrombolytic drugs or […]
