Lindner Jonathan R
Cardiovascular Division, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
J Nucl Cardiol. 2004 Mar-Apr;11(2):215-21. doi: 10.1016/j.nuclcard.2004.01.003.
There is growing interest in the development of methods for imaging cellular and molecular mediators of cardiovascular diseases. Techniques for imaging molecular and cellular alterations have been explored for essentially all noninvasive cardiac imaging modalities. Molecular imaging with contrast-enhanced ultrasound relies on the detection of novel site-targeted microbubble contrast agents. These microbubbles are retained within regions of a specific disease process, thereby allowing phenotypic characterization of tissue. As microbubbles are pure intravascular tracers, the disease processes assessed must be characterized by antigens that are expressed within the vascular compartment. Accordingly, the pathologic states that have been targeted include inflammation, neoplasms, angiogenesis, and thrombus formation, all of which are mediated in part by molecular events within the vascular space. This review describes (1) different strategies that have been used to target microbubbles to regions of disease, (2) the unique challenges for imaging targeted ultrasound contrast agents, and (3) some of the early experience imaging molecular events in animal models of disease.
对心血管疾病细胞和分子介质成像方法的开发兴趣日益浓厚。基本上所有非侵入性心脏成像方式都对分子和细胞改变的成像技术进行了探索。超声造影分子成像依赖于新型位点靶向微泡造影剂的检测。这些微泡保留在特定疾病过程的区域内，从而实现组织的表型特征化。由于微泡是纯血管内示踪剂，所评估的疾病过程必须以血管腔内表达的抗原为特征。因此，已靶向的病理状态包括炎症、肿瘤、血管生成和血栓形成，所有这些都部分由血管空间内的分子事件介导。本综述描述了：（1）用于将微泡靶向疾病区域的不同策略；（2）靶向超声造影剂成像面临的独特挑战；（3）在疾病动物模型中成像分子事件的一些早期经验。
