Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of a wide variety of pathologies. Sonography reliably identifies a wide range of diseases, and the efficacy of modern ultrasound has dramatically improved with contrast enhancement. This book covers almost all aspects of CEUS starting from basic principles and ending with features of its application in individual organs. In particular, it explores the diseases of abdominal, retroperitoneal, and pelvic organs as well as superficial structures, highlighting the characteristic features of typical findings. Focal lesions are discussed in depth, with attention to their early detection and differential diagnosis. Besides, a practical approach to the stratification of the risk of malignancies is provided. The authors summarized their own experience with CEUS in oncology, hepatology, gynecology, urology, endocrinology, and other fields of medicine. The role of CEUS in differential diagnosis of various disorders of the female reproductive system is comprehensively discussed as well. The presentation is clear and concise, and richly illustrated. The book will be a helpful tool for both residents and practitioners approaching ultrasound diagnostics, as well for more experienced radiologists and other professionals.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the rapidly evolving field of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the child. The uses and interpretation of CEUS are clearly explained with the aid of numerous illustrations. The coverage encompasses both established indications, such as focal liver lesions, abdominal solid organ injury, and vesicoureteral reflux, and a range of newer applications. Extensive information is also provided on microbubble agents and their use in the pediatric age group, as well as on practical aspects of setting up a CEUS service for children. CEUS is a safe imaging method that is ideal for the young patient and can be used for problem solving in a number of clinical situations. Ultrasound combined with microbubble contrast avoids the ionizing radiation of a CT examination, the use of iodinated contrast, the need for sedation or a general anesthetic, and the complexities of MR imaging. In bringing readers up to date with best practice and the latest innovations in CEUS, this book will be of value for pediatric radiologists, pediatric sonographers/technicians, and pediatricians.

The value of ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) in everyday clinical practice depends on the pharmacokinetics, the signal processing, and the contrast-specific imaging modalities. Second-generation USCA, are blood pool agents that do not leak into the organ tissue to be examined but remain in the intravascular compartment increasing the Doppler signal amplitude during their dynamic vascular phase. Taking advantage of the stability of their microbubbles, they can withstand the acoustic pressure of insonation much better than first-generation contrast media, which results in an increased half-life of the agent and, consequently, in a prolonged diagnostic window. Concomitant with the improvement of contrast agents, different contrast-specific imaging modalities have been developed which, used in combination with USCA and a low mechanical index, allow continuous real-time grey-scale imaging. These recent technical improvements have opened new possibilities in the use of USCA in a variety of indications. Written by internationally renowned experts, the contributions gathered in this book give an overview of current and possible future new applications of USCA in routine and clinical practice.

This book provides an up-to-date overview on the clinical value of contrast agents in ultrasound. The volume moves from a background section on technique and methodology to the main sections on the clinical application of contrast ultrasound in the liver and in vascular diseases. A final section discusses results and prospects of contrast ultrasound modality in the other fields.

This book examines in detail the diagnostic impact of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of urinary tract pathology, paying particular attention to the diagnostic gain that may be expected in relation to other imaging techniques such as CT and MRI. The role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound is evaluated in a range of pathologies, including ischemia, trauma, inflammation, cystic lesions, and solid tumors, as well as in the imaging of anatomic variants. New applications, for example monitoring of kidney transplantation, assessment of urinary bladder lesions, and diagnosis of vesico-ureteric reflux, are also covered. The presented cases, drawn from the authors’ personal clinical caseload, include images obtained using multimodality techniques, sometimes with 3D CT reconstruction. The authors’ own experiences are compared with the most recent reports in the scientific literature.

This book aims to provide reader an overview of clinical applications of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in hepatic neoplasms diagnosis. Ultrasound images and pathological results of different hepatic neoplasms are introduced in the chapters, including benign liver tumors, malignant liver tumors, hepatic carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, rare liver benign and malignant neoplasms, regenerative nodules, inflammatory pseudotumor, parasite liver lesions, and hepatitis peliosis, etc. The combination of ultrasound findings with final histopathological results then discover the potential mechanical of contrast enhancement changes. With the development of ultrasound technology and widely application of ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) in recent decades, contrast-specific imaging modalities have been developed in combination with USCA and a low mechanical index (MI), allowing continuous real-time grey scale imaging. The updated contrast-specific software for liver diseases and hepatic tumors diagnosis has also been described described in detail. With high-resolution contrast ultrasound images during arterial phase, portal venous phase and late phase, author wants to show the whole dynamic wash-in and wash-out process of the different focal liver lesions.This book is an invaluable resource for radiologists, hepatologists and oncologists in their everyday clinical practice.