Skip to main content

Artifacts in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Examinations

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Pediatric Imaging

Abstract

The recent development of ultrasound contrast agents adds to the utility of ultrasound, with improved diagnosis and patient management. All modes of ultrasound, including B-mode, spectral and colour Doppler techniques have well-known artefacts, some diminishing the image, others easily rectified when recognised and others used to the advantage of image interpretation. There are multiple recognised artefacts with the use of ultrasound contrast agents, nearly all new to even the experienced practitioner. A recognition and understanding of these artefacts are crucial to improving the image, obtaining diagnostic images and ultimately aiding the diagnosis. The ability to minimise these artefacts will be crucial in this process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Food & Drug Administration. Approved drug product list, Mar 2016. http://www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/developmentapprovalprocess/ucm071120.pdf

  2. Forsberg F, Liu JB, Burns PN, Merton DA, Goldberg BB. Artifact in ultrasonic contrast agents studies. J Ultrasound Med. 1994;13:357–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Schneider M. The past, present and future of ultrasound contrast agents. La Chimica e l’Industria. 2000;82:1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Greis C. Technical aspects of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examinations: tips and tricks. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2014;58:89–95.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Dietrich CF, Ignee A, Hocke M, Schreiber-Dietrich D, Greis C. Pitfalls and artefacts using contrast enhanced ultrasound. Z Gastroenterol. 2011;49:350–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fetzer DT, Rafailidis V, Peterson C, Grant EG, Sidhu P, Barr RG. Artifacts in contrast-enhanced ultrasound: a pictorial essay. Abdom Radiol. 2018;43:977–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hindi APC, Peterson C, Barr RG. Artifacts in diagnostic ultrasound. Rep Med Imag. 2013;6:29–48.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Schneider M. Characteristics of SonoVue. Echocardiography. 1999;16:743–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Blomley MJK, Albrecht T, Cosgrove DO, Eckersley RJ, Butler-Barnes J, Jayaram V, et al. Stimulated acoustic emission to image a late liver and spleen-specific phase of Levovist in normal volunteers and patients with and without liver disease. Ultrasound Med Biol. 1999;25:1341–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kono Y, Pinnell SP, Sirlin CB, Sparks SR, Georgy B, Wong W, et al. Carotid arteries: contrast-enhanced US angiography—preliminary clinical experience. Radiology. 2004;230:561–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Sidhu PS, Allan PL, Cattin F, Cosgrove DO, Davies AH, Do DD, et al. Diagnostic efficacy of SonoVue(R), a second generation contrast agent, in the assessment of extracranial carotid or peripheral arteries using colour and spectral Doppler ultrasound: a multicentre study. Br J Radiol. 2006;79:44–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Marshall MM, Beese RC, Muiesan P, Sarma DI, O’Grady J, Sidhu PS. Assessment of portal venous patency in the liver transplant candidate: a prospective study comparing ultrasound, microbubble-enhanced colour Doppler ultrasound with arteriography and surgery. Clin Radiol. 2002;57:377–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Bartels E, Bittermann HJ. Transcranial contrast imaging of cerebral perfusion in patients with space-occupying intracranial lesions. J Ultrasound Med. 2006;25:499–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gutberlet M, Venz S, Neuhaus R, Ehrenstein T, Lemke AJ, Vogl AJ, et al. Contrast agent enhanced duplex ultrasonography: visualization of the hepatic artery after orthotopic transplantation. Rofo Fortschr Geb Rontgenstr Neuen Bildgeb Verfahr. 1997;166:411–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gutberlet M, Venz S, Zendel W, Hosten N, Felix R. Do ultrasonic contrast agents artificially increase maximum Doppler shift? In vivo study of human common carotid arteries. J Ultrasound Med. 1998;17(2):97–102.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Frinking P, Segers T, Luan Y, Tranquart F. Three decades of ultrasound contrast agents: a review of the past, present and future improvements. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2020;46(4):892–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Blomley MJK, Sidhu PS, Cosgrove DO, Albrecht T, Harvey CJ, Heckemann RA, et al. Do different types of liver lesions differ in their uptake of the microbubble contrast agent SH U 508A in the late liver phase? Early experience. Radiology. 2001;220:661–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Bryant TH, Blomley MJ, Albrecht T, Sidhu PS, Leen ELS, Basilico R, et al. Improved characterization of liver lesions with liver-phase uptake of liver-specific microbubbles: prospective multicenter study. Radiology. 2004;232:799–809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Edey AJ, Ryan SM, Beese RC, Gordon P, Sidhu PS. Ultrasound imaging of liver metastases in the delayed parenchymal phase following administration of Sonazoid (TM) using a destructive mode technique (Agent Detection Imaging (TM)). Clin Radiol. 2008;63:1112–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Yusuf GT, Fang C, Huang DY, Sellars ME, Deganello A, Sidhu PS. Endocavitary contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS): a novel problem solving technique. Insights Imaging. 2018;9:303–11.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Deganello A, Sellars ME, Yusuf GT, Sidhu PS. How much should i record during a CEUS examination? Practical aspects of the real-time feature of a contrast ultrasound study. Ultraschall Med. 2018;39(5):484–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul S. Sidhu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Sidhu, P.S., Yusuf, G.T., Fang, C., Rafailidis, V. (2021). Artifacts in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Examinations. In: Sidhu, P., Sellars, M., Deganello, A. (eds) Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Pediatric Imaging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49691-3_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49691-3_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-49690-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-49691-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics