Novel applications of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging in vascular medicine.

Novel applications of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging in vascular medicine. Vasa. 2013 Jan;42(1):17-31 Authors: Staub D, Partovi S, Imfeld S, Uthoff H, Baldi T, Aschwanden M, Jaeger K Abstract The use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for vascular imaging indications has increased dramatically during the last decade. Ultrasound contrast agents are gas-filled microbubbles that are injected into the bloodstream and serve as strict intravascular reflectors of ultrasound waves. Numerous studies have addressed the potential clinical use of CEUS in different vascular fields including the carotid arteries, the abdominal aorta, renal arteries and the kidneys. In this review article we discuss the clinical value of contrast agents in vascular ultrasound by enhancing the vascular lumen, and more important, their role as a tool to deliver high resolution, real-time images of microvascular perfusion. Specifically, CEUS imaging of the carotid artery provides a novel, non-invasive method not only to improve the delineation of the vessel wall, but also for the assessment of the vasa vasorum and the ectopic vascularization of the atherosclerotic plaque (intraplaque neovascularization); probably providing a “window” to risk stratify atherosclerotic lesions and individuals by identifying “vulnerable” plaques prone to rupture causing vascular events. CEUS imaging has also emerged as a novel diagnostic tool in various aortic pathologies and particul...
Source: VASA. Zeitschrift fur Gefasskrankheiten. Journal for Vascular Diseases - Category: Surgery Authors: Tags: Vasa Source Type: research