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Harmonic imaging during contrast echocardiography: basic principles and potential clinical value

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Advances in Echo Imaging Using Contrast Enhancement

Abstract

Contrast echocardiography has evolved rapidly, due to major recent advances in both contrast agent development and ultrasound equipment technology. Transpulmonary passage of intravenously administered contrast agents and resultant left ventricular opacification has been demonstrated in humans [1, 2]. Newer agents, containing various stabilizing gases, produce both left ventricular and myocardial opacification after intravenous injection in animal models during normal and altered perfusion states [3–9]. Experimental human studies indicate similar findings [10, 11], suggesting enormous potential for the clinical application of these new agents. However, the myocardial contrast effect is variably detected when imaged with standard commercially available ultrasound equipment, and if higher doses are utilized to improve detectability, attenuation from within the ventricles frequently interferes with complete visualization of the myocardium.

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Authors
  1. Hector R. Villarraga
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  2. David A. Foley
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  3. Sang Man Chung
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  4. Navin C. Nanda
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  5. Sharon L. Mulvagh
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Navin C. Nanda MD (Professor of Medicine and Director, Heart Station/Echocardiography Laboratories) (Professor of Medicine and Director, Heart Station/Echocardiography Laboratories)

  2. The Kirklin Clinic, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Navin C. Nanda MD (Professor of Medicine and Director, Heart Station/Echocardiography Laboratories) (Professor of Medicine and Director, Heart Station/Echocardiography Laboratories)

  3. Clinical Development Diagnostics of Schering AG, Berlin, Germany

    Reinhard Schlief Dr Med Dipl Phys (Head of Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound Contrast Media) (Head of Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound Contrast Media)

  4. Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA

    Barry B. Goldberg MD (Professor of Radiology and Director) (Professor of Radiology and Director)

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Villarraga, H.R., Foley, D.A., Chung, S.M., Nanda, N.C., Mulvagh, S.L. (1997). Harmonic imaging during contrast echocardiography: basic principles and potential clinical value. In: Nanda, N.C., Schlief, R., Goldberg, B.B. (eds) Advances in Echo Imaging Using Contrast Enhancement. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5704-9_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5704-9_28

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6405-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5704-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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