Diagnostic vascular ultrasonography with the help of color Doppler and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography

Abstract

The use of ultrasonography and especially of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of vascular pathologies before and after interventions has significantly increased over the past years due to the broader availability of modern ultrasound systems with CEUS capabilities and more trained user experience in this imaging modality. For the preinterventional and postinterventional work-up of carotid diseases, duplex ultrasound as well as CEUS have been established as the standard-of-care examination procedures for diagnosis, evaluation, and follow-up. In addition to its use for carotid arterial diseases, ultrasonography has also become the primary modality for the screening of vascular pathologies. This review describes the most common pathologies found in ultrasonography of the carotid arteries, the abdominal aorta, and the femoral arteries.

Atheroma of the facial artery mimicking a parotid gland tumor

“…[3] Especially, the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound has become an accurate, safe, noninvasive imaging tool in the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. [7] Angiography has been known to underestimate the presence and severity of atherosclerosis. [5] CT is a useful and reliable imaging method for providing anatomic imaging from the aortic arch to the circle of Willis.…”

Romanian National Guidelines on Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound in clinical practice

“…CEUS can confidently be used to assess abdominal aortic aneurysm and its complications [179] and to characterize atherosclerotic plaques, especially in the carotid artery [180]. Arteriovenous fistulas can also be assessed by CEUS [181].…”

“…CEUS is able to evaluate the veins patency, to assess thrombus extension [181] and can differentiate between benign or malignant portal vein thrombosis [182,183]. In liver transplantation, CEUS can depict the vascular patency, and also the ischemic areas or hemorrhage within the liver [5,184,185].…”

The added value of contemporary ultrasound technologies in the diagnosis of malignant tumours of the gastrointestinal system – a case report

“…One of the most widespread uses of GIUS, beside acute abdominal conditions, is the evaluation and follow-up of patients with Crohn's disease [2][3][4]. Beyond assessing disease activity, ultrasound has been shown to have a high diagnostic accuracy, comparable to computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the detection of abdominal complications [5][6][7][8]. Ultrasound can furthermore detect abdominal lesions that were initially unsuspicious using other imaging modalities [9].…”