Science to Practice: Multiparametric Molecular and Functional US Imaging Goes Three-dimensional.

Although microbubbles can boost the diagnostic value of ultrasonography (US), they are not routinely applied in clinical tumor diagnosis. This can be explained by the limited reproducibility of US examinations and the fact that single or few recorded image sections may not be representative of the entire tumor. Three-dimensional (3D) US may help to overcome these limitations. Therefore, Wang and coworkers applied a 3D matrix transducer to monitor response of colon cancer xenografts to antiangiogenic therapy with functional and molecular US imaging. It was shown that tumor response to therapy can be assessed early, precisely, and in high agreement with histologic findings.