PURPOSE: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is the application of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) to traditional medical sonography. The development of UCAs allowed to overcome some of the limitations of conventional B-mode and Doppler ultrasound techniques and enabled the display of the parenchymal microvasculature. Purpose of this paper is to delineate the elements of a solid and science-based technique in the execution of urinary bladder CEUS. METHODS: We describe the technical execution of urinary bladder CEUS and the use of perfusion softwares to perform contrast enhancement quantitative analysis with generation of time-intensity curves from regions of interest. RESULTS: During CEUS, normal bladder wall shows a wash-in time of 13 s, a time to peak (TTP) >40 s, a signal intensity (SI) <45 % and a wash-out time >80 s; Low-grade urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) shows a wash-in time of 13 s, a time to peak TTP >28 s, a SI <45 % and a wash-out time of 40 s; High-grade UCC shows a wash-in time of 13 s, a TTP >28 s, a SI >50 % and a wash-out time of 58 s. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS is a useful tool for an accurate characterization of bladder UCC although it has some drawbacks. To avoid misunderstandings, a widely accepted classification and a standardized terminology about the most significant parameters of this application should be adopted in the immediate future.
PURPOSE: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is the application of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) to traditional medical sonography. The development of UCAs allowed to overcome some of the limitations of conventional B-mode and Doppler ultrasound techniques and enabled the display of the parenchymal microvasculature. Purpose of this paper is to delineate the elements of a solid and science-based technique in the execution of urinary bladder CEUS. METHODS: We describe the technical execution of urinary bladder CEUS and the use of perfusion softwares to perform contrast enhancement quantitative analysis with generation of time-intensity curves from regions of interest. RESULTS: During CEUS, normal bladder wall shows a wash-in time of 13 s, a time to peak (TTP) >40 s, a signal intensity (SI) <45 % and a wash-out time >80 s; Low-grade urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) shows a wash-in time of 13 s, a time to peak TTP >28 s, a SI <45 % and a wash-out time of 40 s; High-grade UCC shows a wash-in time of 13 s, a TTP >28 s, a SI >50 % and a wash-out time of 58 s. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS is a useful tool for an accurate characterization of bladder UCC although it has some drawbacks. To avoid misunderstandings, a widely accepted classification and a standardized terminology about the most significant parameters of this application should be adopted in the immediate future.
Authors: F Piscaglia; C Nolsøe; C F Dietrich; D O Cosgrove; O H Gilja; M Bachmann Nielsen; T Albrecht; L Barozzi; M Bertolotto; O Catalano; M Claudon; D A Clevert; J M Correas; M D'Onofrio; F M Drudi; J Eyding; M Giovannini; M Hocke; A Ignee; E M Jung; A S Klauser; N Lassau; E Leen; G Mathis; A Saftoiu; G Seidel; P S Sidhu; G ter Haar; D Timmerman; H P Weskott Journal: Ultraschall Med Date: 2011-08-26 Impact factor: 6.548
Authors: Michel Claudon; Christoph F Dietrich; Byung Ihn Choi; David O Cosgrove; Masatoshi Kudo; Christian P Nolsøe; Fabio Piscaglia; Stephanie R Wilson; Richard G Barr; Maria C Chammas; Nitin G Chaubal; Min-Hua Chen; Dirk Andre Clevert; Jean Michel Correas; Hong Ding; Flemming Forsberg; J Brian Fowlkes; Robert N Gibson; Barry B Goldberg; Nathalie Lassau; Edward L S Leen; Robert F Mattrey; Fuminori Moriyasu; Luigi Solbiati; Hans-Peter Weskott; Hui-Xiong Xu Journal: Ultrasound Med Biol Date: 2012-11-05 Impact factor: 2.998
Authors: F M Drudi; V Cantisani; M Liberatore; F Iori; S M Erturk; C Cristini; G Di Pierro; U D'Ambrosio; F Malpassini; C De Felice; N Di Leo Journal: Ultraschall Med Date: 2010-05-06 Impact factor: 6.548
Authors: Francesco Macrì; Simona Di Pietro; Cyndi Mangano; Michela Pugliese; Giuseppe Mazzullo; Nicola M Iannelli; Vito Angileri; Simona Morabito; Massimo De Majo Journal: BMC Vet Res Date: 2018-03-12 Impact factor: 2.741