In vitro evaluation of acoustic properties of ultrasound contrast agents: Experimental set-up and signal processing

The uses of ultrasound contrast agents are still growing since the first applications were reported by Gramiak and Shah. The contrast agent has to be more standardized with superior properties and the bubbles constituting the contrast agent must be small enough to cross microcirculation and to be sufficiently stable to cross from the injection site to the detection site. The aim of this study is the quantification of ultrasound contrast agents by determining their acoustic properties. The scatter properties are defined in terms of the backscatter transfer function and the transmission coefficient. The contrast agents are evaluated in their original states. The results obtained with Albunex (Molecular Biosystems) and Echovist 300 (Schering AG) are presented as well as a comparison between their acoustic characteristics.