Introduction Contrast echocardiography describes a set of specialized cardiovascular ultrasound techniques that rely on the administration of acoustically active contrast agents to complement standard imaging and Doppler echocardiography. Although there are many different types of acoustically active ultrasound contrast agents,…
Introduction Contrast echocardiography is a broad term used to describe an array of approaches that can be used to improve and expand diagnostic capabilities by acoustic enhancement of the blood pool during cardiac ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound contrast agents are generally…
Echocardiography plays a critical role in the management of patients, especially in its ability to evaluate left ventricular (LV) global and regional function. Its clinical utility, however, may be affected by image quality. In approximately 10% to 15% of routine…
Microbubble Contrast Agents A wide variety of ultrasound-enhancing agents (UEAs), or contrast agents, have been developed for use in diagnostic imaging. Agents that have been approved by regulatory agencies for routine diagnostic use in humans are composed of encapsulated microbubbles.…
Focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) refers to a point-of-care ultrasound examination that is goal oriented in a specific clinical setting. , These “focused” bedside echocardiographic examinations differ from diagnostic echocardiography in that they are performed to answer specific clinical questions that…