Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is the application of
ultrasound contrast medium to traditional
medical sonography. Ultrasound contrast agents rely on the different ways in which sound waves are reflected from interfaces between substances. This may be the surface of a small air bubble or a more complex structure. Commercially available contrast media are gas-filled
microbubbles that are administered intravenously to the
systemic circulation. Microbubbles have a high degree of echogenicity (the ability of an object to reflect ultrasound waves). There is a great difference in echogenicity between the gas in the microbubbles and the soft
tissue surroundings of the body. Thus,
ultrasonic imaging using microbubble contrast agents enhances the ultrasound
backscatter, (reflection) of the ultrasound waves, to produce a
sonogram with increased contrast due to the high echogenicity difference. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can be used to image blood
perfusion in organs, measure
blood flow rate in the
heart and other organs, and for other applications.
