Detection of acoustic cavitation in the heart with microbubble contrast agents in vivo: a mechanism for ultrasound-induced arrhythmias.

Ultrasound fields can produce premature cardiac contractions under appropriate exposure conditions. The pressure threshold for ultrasound-induced premature contractions is significantly lowered when microbubble contrast agents are present in the vasculature. The objective of this study was to measure directly ultrasound-induced cavitation in the murine heart in vivo and correlate the occurrence of cavitation with the production of premature cardiac contractions. A passive cavitation detection technique was used to quantify cavitation activity in the heart. Experiments were performed with anesthetized, adult mice given intravenous injections of either a contrast agent (Optison) or saline. Murine hearts were exposed to ultrasound pulses (200 kHz, 1 ms, 0.1-0.25 MPa). Premature beats were produced in mice injected with Optison and the likelihood of producing a premature beat increased with increasing pressure amplitude. Similarly, cavitation was detected in mice injected with Optison and the amplitude of the passive cavitation detector signal increased with increasing exposure amplitude. Furthermore, there was a direct correlation between the extent of cavitation and the likelihood of ultrasound producing a premature beat. Neither premature beats nor cavitation activity were observed in animals injected with saline and exposed to ultrasound. These results are consistent with acoustic cavitation as a mechanism for this bioeffect.