Correas J M, Claudon M, Tranquart F, Hélénon O
Service de Radiologie Adulte, Groupe Hospitalier Necker-Enfants Malades, 149 rue de Sèvres 75743 Paris cedex 15, France.
J Radiol. 2003 Dec;84(12 Pt 2):2041-54.
Color Doppler US of the urinary tract is still facing a few limitations including, for B-mode imaging, the detection of small lesions, and, for color Doppler, the detection of low flow. Ultrasound contrast agents (USCA) improve these two limitations and allow the development of new functional applications for renal blood flow quantification. This improvement results from an increased acoustic response obtained from the microbubbles, as well as from the development of pulse sequencing and signal processing that led to the concept of specific ultrasound sequences. Most of the clinical indications of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography remain to be validated with the improved detection of the non linear response. USCA improve the detection of abnormal micro and macrovascular disorders of the kidney, particularly for the detection and the characterization of renal artery stenosis, as well as for the visualization of renal infarction. This technique showed potentials for the study of renal masses, especially atypical cystic lesions. Among the remaining indications, the detection of reflux and testicular torsion are the most promising.
泌尿系统的彩色多普勒超声仍面临一些局限性，对于B模式成像而言，存在小病变检测的问题，而对于彩色多普勒来说，则存在低血流检测的问题。超声造影剂（USCA）改善了这两个局限性，并为肾血流定量开发新的功能应用创造了条件。这种改善源于微泡产生的声学响应增强，以及脉冲序列和信号处理的发展，从而产生了特定超声序列的概念。随着对非线性响应检测的改进，大多数超声造影增强的临床适应症仍有待验证。USCA改善了肾脏微小和大血管异常疾病的检测，特别是对于肾动脉狭窄的检测和特征描述，以及肾梗死的可视化。这项技术在研究肾肿块，尤其是非典型囊性病变方面显示出潜力。在其余适应症中，反流和睾丸扭转的检测最具前景。
