Acoustic response of compliable microvessels containing ultrasound contrast agents

Ultrasound contrast agents affect the angiogenic response.

OBJECTIVES The interaction of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) and ultrasound (US) provides a way to spatially and temporally target tissues. Recently, UCAs have been used therapeutically to induce localized angiogenesis. Ultrasound contrast agents, however, have been documented to induce negative bioeffects. To further understand the balance of risks and benefits of UCAs and to examine the me...

Enhanced targeting of ultrasound contrast agents using acoustic radiation force.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has shown significant promise as a molecular imaging modality. However, one potential drawback is the difficulty that ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) may have in achieving adhesion to target molecules on the vascular endothelium. Microbubble UCA exhibit a lateral migration toward the vessel axis in laminar flow, preventing UCA contact with the endothelium. In the c...

Acoustic characterisation of ultrasound contrast agents at high frequency

Toward increased applicability of ultrasound contrast agents

Ultrasound is one of the most widely used modalities in medical imaging because of its high costeffectiveness, wide availability in hospitals, generation of real-time images, and use of nonionizing radiation. However, the image quality can be insufficient in some patients. Introducing a contrast agent (CA), which comprises a suspension of 2–6 μm-sized microbubbles, improves the image quality an...

Switching of MRI Contrast Agents with Ultrasound

Purpose The utility of (super)paramagnetic agents to enhance contrast in MRI has been for some time demonstrated in human studies. The contrast provided by these agents arises from their ability to achieve reductions in T1 and T2*. Another approach to designing contrast agents is to consider the use of ultrasound (US). We have developed a method involving the application of US in MRI in the pre...