Microbubble contrast agents for ultrasound have been adopted widely in many other countries, and have been available in the United States for several years, however, have only recently been FDA-approved for abdominal ultrasound. These agents are injected intravenously, similar to their CT and MRI counterparts, however, are extremely safe—reaction rates are very low, and these agents have no related nephrotoxicity, and can be given at any level of renal dysfunction.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) may be used as an adjunct to contrast-enhanced CT or MRI when either modality is indeterminate or contraindicated—CEUS offers a safe, rapid, and relatively inexpensive option without the radiation, heavy metal contrast, or worries about renal function. Currently, CEUS is approved for liver mass evaluation. However, our experts specialize is using ultrasound to solve a wide variety of clinical problems.
Our ultrasound experts are not only using these contrast agents clinically, they are evaluating their use in vascular imaging, organ and tumor perfusion analysis, and cancer response to therapy.
