Update of ultrasound contrast imaging

When an ultrasound scan is performed at a high mechanical index (MI), microbubbles in the scan volume are destroyed. The microbubbles are then replenished into the scan volume. The scan sequence with combined high and low MI scans is called a flash-replenishment (FR) sequence. This method is considered to be useful for diagnosis of the blood flow when employing new generation ultrasound contrast agents. In this paper, a new imagine method utilizing such a bubble destruction phenomenon was illustrated. Micro flow imaging (MFI), combined FR sequence and max-hold processing enable the visualization of small blood vessels in the liver. It was also considered that such a bubble destruction method made it easy to readjust image settings or to change ultrasound scan planes.(C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.