Enhancement of mitral regurgitation and normal left atrial color Doppler flow signals with peripheral venous injection of a saccharide-based contrast agent

Abstract

Contrast-mediated increased echogenicity of the left atrial blood pool improves the signal to noise ratio of Doppler images of mitral regurgitation and anterograde atrial flow. The technique is safe and simple and seems to minimize variability due to instrument design and anatomic signal attenuation.

SHU 508 A (Levovist)‐Enhanced Doppler Echocardiography Improves the Assessment of Valvular Heart Disease

“…5 The degree of exact agreement with cardiac catheterization was not increased by contrast enhancement over the unenhanced examination. 5 The degree of exact agreement with cardiac catheterization was not increased by contrast enhancement over the unenhanced examination.…”

“…The severity of valvular pathology was graded on a four-point scale using unenhanced and contrast-enhanced Doppler echocardiography as well as cardiac catheterization. 4,5,7 This multicenter clinical trial was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of SHU 508 A (Levovist, Schering AG, Berlin, Germany) in grading the severity of valvular heart disease in patients with insuf cient This study was supported by Schering AG, Berlin, Germany. Grading was possible in all patients using SHU 508 A, whereas the unenhanced Doppler examination remained inconclusive in six patients.…”

Contrast Echocardiography Can Save Nondiagnostic Exams in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

“…In addition, contrast agents increase Doppler signals and, in specific patient subsets, have been shown to improve the quantitative assessment of aortic stenosis, pulmonary venous flow, mitral regurgitation, and measurement of peak flow velocity of tricuspid regurgitation 5–8 …”

Effect of ultrasound transmit power on liver enhancement with Imagent� US, a PFC-stabilized microbubble contrast agent

“…Videodensitometry was used to asThe addition of a protective shell increases bubble longevity to sess liver-to-lesion intensity difference over time. Both the degree one or a few circulation times (approximately 1 min) after intraveand duration of liver enhancement were dependent on the transmit nous injection [11,[18][19][20][21], but early-generation bubbles remain power. Liver enhancement with imaging at minimum power for 5 s/ min was nearly two times greater and persisted nearly eight times highly susceptible to hydrostatic pressure as shown by the in vivo longer (P õ 0.01) than at maximum power and continuous insonation.…”