309 results about "Ultrasound contrast media" patented technology

An ultrasound system that has transmit and receive circuitry that, pursuant to a plurality of image settings, transmits ultrasound signals into a patient, receives echoes from a patient and outputs a signal representative of the echo. Control circuitry is provided that sequentially adjusts the image settings so as to cause the transmit and receive circuitry to have a sequence of imaging configurations during an ultrasound imaging study. A memory may be provided that stores a plurality of state diagrams, each defining a sequence of imaging configurations for a particular imaging study, which are accessible by the control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry accesses a selected state diagram to conduct an imaging study. Such a system is particularly useful for imaging studies that utilize contrast agents.

A method for generating an enhanced ultrasound image comprises intravenously administering to a subject a plurality of microbubbles of sufficient diameter to lodge in the microvasculature of a subject. An ultrasound image of a portion of the subject is generated wherein the image is enhanced by one or more of the administered microbubbles that has lodged in the microvasculature of the imaged portion. An ultrasound contrast media composition comprises a plurality of gas filled microbubbles. At least about 5% of the microbubbles have a diameter of at least about 4 microns (μm), and wherein the composition is suitable for intravenous administration. The administered microbubbles are of sufficient diameter to lodge in the microvasculature of a subject and can be used enhance ultrasound images small animal subjects including mice, rats and rabbits. The described methods and compositions can be used to enhance ultrasound images produced using high frequency ultrasound.

A method for detection of ultrasound contrast agent in soft tissue according to the present invention includes utilizing an ultrasound transmit beam former and transducer array assembly for transmitting directive, focussed ultrasound pressure pulses with steerable transmit amplitude, transmit aperture, transmit focus, and transmit direction, and with temporal frequency components within a limited band B centered at a frequency f0, towards a region of soft tissue that contains ultrasound contrast agent bubbles. The transmit pulse parameters are arranged, preferably using multiple transmit pulses, so that the incident pressure pulse that is utilized for imaging of the contrast agent for a particular depth, has minimal variation over the actual image range. The non-linearly distorted, back-scattered ultrasound signal is received from both the tissue and the ultrasound contrast agent bubbles with the same ultrasound transducer assembly and the received array element signals are passed through a receiver beamformer that has a steerable spatially directive receiver sensitivity.

The present invention describes processes for the preparation of a lipid blend and a uniform filterable phospholipid suspension containing the lipid blend, such suspension being useful as an ultrasound contrast agent.

A method for improved detection and imaging of ultrasound contrast agents using dual-band transmitted pulses, is described. The method is based on transmitting a pulse consisting of two frequency bands, a low frequency band which purpose is to manipulate the high frequency scattering properties of the contrast agent, and a high frequency band from which the image reconstruction is based. In addition, a general form of pulse subtraction is used to significantly suppress the received tissue signal.

A system and method for ultrasound imaging of breast tissue by injecting an ultrasound contrast agent into a duct lumen of a patient's breast to enhance the imaging of one or more ducts within a specified lobe of the breast to improve characterization of a lesion or lesions within the duct system of the specified lobe are disclosed. The ultrasound contrast agent used to improve breast imaging may be injected into the duct lumen through an orifice on the nipple and/or a duct wall into the duct lumen. The ultrasound contrast agent may be injected prior to and/or during ultrasound imaging. The ultrasound contrast agent may be an acoustically detectable gas such as a halogenated hydrocarbon, halogenated alkane gases, nitrogen, helium, argon and/or xenon. The halogenated alkane gas may be a perfluorinated hydrocarbon such as saturated perfluorocarbon, unsaturated perfluorocarbon, and/or cyclic perfluorocarbon. The acoustically detectable gas may alternatively be mixed in a liquid solution.

The invention discloses a load small interfering RNA (siRNA) nanoscale lipid microbubble ultrasonic contrast agent and a preparation method. The load siRNA lipid microbubble is formed by preparing DPPC (Dipalmitoyl Phosphatidyl Choline), DSPE (1, 2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine) and DPPA (Diphenyl Phosphoryl Azide) into microbubbles (containing octafluoropropane) according to the weight part ratio of 18:1:1 and then assembling together with PEG-PLL (Polyethylene Glycol-Polylysne)-coated siRNA nanomicelle. The load siRNA nanoscale lipid is nanosclae, has an obvious ultrasonic contrast effect, and can generate obvious siRNA cell transfection efficiency under low-frequency ultrasonic irradiation, thereby further hopefully having important research values and application prospects in the fields of ultrasonic diagnosis and gene treatment.

The present invention relates to a gastrointestinal color ultrasonic contrast medium. It is a Chinese medicine preparation made up by using the Chinese medicinal materials of ark shell 2 portions, corydalis tuber 2 portions, pearl 1 portion, abalone shell, portion and cuttlefish bone 1 portion through the processes of selecting raw material, washing, drying, pulverizing to 100 meshes, uniformly mixing them, sterilizing, filling and capsulizing to obtain the invented finished procuct. The invention has no toxic side effect, can be used for accurately diagnosing various gastrointestinal diseases.

The present invention generally relates to one or more methods of using semi-synthetic vesicles as contrasting agents for ultrasound imaging.

Provided are ultrasound imaging methods that include administering to a subject a contrast agent that includes a plurality of collapsible gas vesicles, obtaining ultrasound data of a target site of interest, and analyzing the ultrasound data to produce an ultrasound image of the target site. Ultrasound contrast agents are also provided. The subject methods and contrast agents find use in ultrasound imaging applications.

The present invention provides a novel method of manufacturing nanosized polymeric echogenic contrast agents. The method of the present invention comprises a modified salting out process which results on nanosized polymeric capsules encapsulating an aqueous core that is subsequently evacuated. The compositions of the present invention can be used as contrast agents as well as to deliver therapeutic agents to specific targets.

The invention provides a placenta targeted delivery system. The placenta targeted delivery system comprises a hydrophobic core, a monolayer lipid molecular layer wrapping the hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic shell. The hydrophobic core comprises a hydrophobic polymer and a targeted delivery object loaded by the hydrophobic polymer, and the targeted delivery object includes at least one of a pregnancy drug and an ultrasound contrast agent. The hydrophilic shell is an amphiphilic macromolecular compound grafted with a polypeptide of targeted placenta-like chondroitin sulfate A, the hydrophobicend of the amphiphilic macromolecular compound is interspersed in the monolayer lipid molecular layer, and the hydrophilic end of the amphiphilic macromolecular compound is linked to the polypeptidethrough an amido bond. The polypeptide is exposed outside the monolayer lipid molecular layer, wherein the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide is selected from one or more of amino acid sequences shown in SEQ ID NO: 1-SEQ ID NO: 3. The invention further provides a preparation method of the placenta targeted delivery system and application of the placenta targeted delivery system to diagnosis and treatment of a pregnancy disorder caused by the placenta.