April 12, 2021 — AuntMinnie.com
By Amerigo Allegretto, staff writer
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has a number of useful benefits over other forms of medical imaging, according to two studies presented Monday at the virtual 2021 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) annual meeting.
Researchers from Northwell North Shore and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center presented their respective findings on the uses of CEUS in interventional applications and vascular malformations, as well as other overall benefits of contrast ultrasound, such as better efficiency, better imaging, fewer side effects, and no exposure to ionizing radiation for patients.
“Understanding how to perform, interpret, and use CEUS can significantly improve intraprocedural accuracy and postprocedural surveillance of various entities,” said Dr. Sarah Raza from the Northwell North Shore Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Raza’s presentation at AIUM 2021 looked at the use of contrast ultrasound in several medical scenarios, such as patients undergoing an endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) to detect the presence of endoleaks after interventional procedures.
In a retrospective study of 74 patients, Raza’s team examined the use of a commercially available contrast agent (Lumason, Bracco Diagnostics) in comparison to color Doppler performed on patients post-EVAR. Thirty-two patients received CEUS and 42 underwent color Doppler. Ultrasound results on all patients were compared with CT angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA).
Contrast ultrasound proved superior to color Doppler in all categories.
