Abstract
Microbubbles stabilized by a surfactant or polymer coating are the most effective form of contrast agent available for ultrasound imaging. They have shown great potential as a means of quantifying tissue perfusion, in particular determining physiologically significant parameters such as relative vascular volume and flow velocity. Clinical implementation of quantitative imaging procedures, however, has been hindered by poor characterisation of the complex relationship between microbubble concentration, scattering and image intensity. The aim of this paper is to describe theoretical and experimental investigations of the physical phenomena underlying these effects, such as the time. pressure and frequency dependence of microbubble behaviour, the influence of the bubble coating, size distribution and concentration; and to discuss the challenges involved in developing accurate quantitative imaging protocols. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1352-1362 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | APPLIED ACOUSTICS |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2009 |
| Event | Special Session on Bubbles and Ultrasound held at the IOA 2008 Spring Conference - Reading, United Kingdom Duration: 10 Apr 2008 → 11 Apr 2008 |
Keywords
- Microbubbles
- Ultrasound contrast agents
- Quantitative imaging
- Artefacts
- Nonlinear propagation
- Multiple scattering
- PRESSURE-DEPENDENT ATTENUATION
- BUBBLE OSCILLATIONS
- GAS-BUBBLES
- MICROBUBBLES
- SCATTERING
- DESTRUCTION
- SHELL
- ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY
- ULTRASONOGRAPHY
- SURFACTANTS