Nucifora G, Faletra F F
Department of Cardiology, Fondazione Cardiocentro Ticino, Lugano, Switzerland.
Minerva Cardioangiol. 2011 Oct;59(5):519-32.
Transthoracic echocardiography is a practical, widely available non-invasive imaging technique examining cardiac structure and function at rest and during stress. However, diagnostically useful images are not provided in a non-negligible proportion of patients, mainly because of obesity and lung disease. The use of echo-contrast agents (microbubbles consisting of high molecular weight gas encapsulated in a outer shell which have ultrasound characteristics distinctly different from those of the surrounding blood cells and heart tissue) solves these issues, providing cardiac chamber opacification and improving endocardial border definition, consequently allowing a more accurate quantification of left ventricular function. Besides improving the assessment of left ventricular function, echo-contrast agents may be used also to assess the myocardial perfusion at the capillary level, providing useful information about myocardial blood flow. Aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of the main clinical applications of contrast echocardiography, i.e. left ventricular opacification and myocardial contrast echocardiography.
经胸超声心动图是一种实用且广泛应用的非侵入性成像技术，可在静息和负荷状态下检查心脏结构和功能。然而，在相当一部分患者中无法获得具有诊断价值的图像，主要原因是肥胖和肺部疾病。使用超声造影剂（由包裹在外壳中的高分子量气体组成的微泡，其超声特性与周围血细胞和心脏组织明显不同）可解决这些问题，使心腔显影并改善心内膜边界清晰度，从而更准确地量化左心室功能。除了改善左心室功能评估外，超声造影剂还可用于评估毛细血管水平的心肌灌注，提供有关心肌血流的有用信息。本文旨在概述超声造影的主要临床应用，即左心室显影和心肌对比超声心动图。
