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European Heart Journal Advance Access published online on April 30, 2007
European Heart Journal, doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehm110
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© The European Society of Cardiology 2007. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Bio-effects of ultrasound contrast agents in daily clinical practice: fact or fiction?

Guy Van Camp*, Steven Droogmans and Bernard Cosyns

Department of Cardiology, UZ Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels, Belgium

* Corresponding author. Tel: +32 2 476 32 52; fax: +32 2 477 68 40. E-mail address: guy.vancamp@uzbrussel.be

This editorial refers to ‘Release of cardiac bio-markers during high mechanical index contrast-enhanced echocardiography in humans’ by D. Vancraeynest et al., doi:10:1093/eurheartj/ehm051

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs), delivered as peripheral venous injections, have been developed to enhance the ultrasound image quality. The current application, recognized by the FDA and European Medecines Agency (EMEA) is the enhancement of the left ventricular endocardial border or left ventricular opacification (LVO). These microbubbles with a diameter and an intravascular velocity similar to red blood cells travel through the myocardial capillaries and enable us to visualize myocardial perfusion during myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE).1 These agents are also used to quantitate myocardial perfusion most of the time, especially for research purposes.2,3

Like all other contrast agents used in medicine, adverse events can also occur with UCAs.4 Allergic reactions though important are inherent to the use of contrast agents. Their existence, although sometimes very serious (anaphylactoid reactions), imply that the use of UCAs in clinical practice can only be supported if the additional diagnostic information is clinically relevant enough for . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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Related articles in EHJ:

Release of cardiac bio-markers during high mechanical index contrast-enhanced echocardiography in humans
David Vancraeynest, Joelle Kefer, Claude Hanet, Catherine Fillee, Christophe Beauloye, Agnes Pasquet, Bernhard L. Gerber, Marianne Philippe, and Jean-Louis J. Vanoverschelde
EHJ 2007 28: 1236-1241. [Abstract] [FREE Full Text]  



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