Review of Ultrasound Enhancing Agents in Echocardiography for Better Diagnostic Accuracy

• Published in: Current cardiovascular imaging reports 2024-03, Vol.17 (3), p.33-42
• Main Authors: Thamman, Ritu, Janardhanan, Rajesh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Borders; Cardiology; Diagnostic Radiology; Imaging; Interventional Radiology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Nuclear Medicine; Radiology; Review; Topical Collection on Echocardiography; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 1941-9066; 1941-9074
• DOI: 10.1007/s12410-024-09589-5

Purpose of Review This abstract aims to examine the advancements in the utilization, indications, and implementation of ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) and their potential to enhance cost-effective diagnostics. Recent Findings The review highlights significant progress in the application of UEAs, particularly in improving the delineation of endocardial borders, enhancing interpretation of wall motion, and increasing diagnostic accuracy. Moreover, UEAs contribute to streamlining workflows and help avoid more expensive procedures, especially in cases with technically challenging or suboptimal studies. Summary UEAs have shown great promise in various medical scenarios, such as enhancing the visualization of the cardiac blood pool and enabling better assessment of ventricular borders, ventricular function, masses, and other intracavitary or myocardial abnormalities. This abstract presents an overview of the recent findings that underscore the potential benefits of UEAs in optimizing cardiac diagnostics while considering cost-effectiveness.