Abstract
Ultrasound contrast agents have unique acoustic properties that enable them to enhance the cardiac blood flow and thus are used broadly in modern echocardiography laboratories for salvage of nondiagnostic studies, improving accuracy and reducing variability even in the presence of adequate image quality. Contrast echocardiography is also used as an adjunctive technique when unenhanced echocardiography falls short in the differentiation of cardiac structural abnormalities such as cardiac masses. Ultrasound contrast agents are pure intravascular tracers. Development of innovative ultrasound imaging techniques has led to myocardial perfusion imaging with contrast echocardiography. Although currently an off-label indication, it has been shown that perfusion imaging with contrast echocardiography adds incremental value to stress echocardiography in the detection of coronary artery disease. Moreover, it can be used for assessment of myocardial viability. In this paper we briefly discuss the basics of contrast echocardiography and its use in daily clinical practice.
Highlights
Ultrasound contrast agents have unique acoustic properties that enable them to enhance the cardiac blood flow and are used broadly in modern echocardiography laboratories for salvage of nondiagnostic studies, improving accuracy and reducing variability even in the presence of adequate image quality
Currently an off-label indication, it has been shown that perfusion imaging with contrast echocardiography adds incremental value to stress echocardiography in the detection of coronary artery disease
Perfusion imaging with myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) has been studied in nonacute coronary artery disease
Summary
UCAs to improve endocardial border delineation when two or more segments of the left ventricle cannot be well defined [5, 6] The salvage of such nondiagnostic studies using left ventricular opacification(LVO)has beenreported tobe as high as approximately 50% with higher rates of salvage in the intensive care unit [7,8,9]. Recent studies have shown that 3D contrast echocardiography provides the closest results to cardiac magnetic resonance in measuring left ventricular volumes. At high MI, tissue will produce harmonic backscatters (nonlinear response) that make delineation of the endocardial border more difficult For these reasons, LVO studies should be performed with low MI (
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