Multifold sonicated dilutions of albumin with fifty percent dextrose improve left ventricular contrast videointensity after intravenous injection in human beings.

An intravenous injection of a onefold dilution of sonicated albumin with 50% dextrose improves echocardiographic left ventricular cavitary opacification in dogs compared with sonicated albumin. The objective of this study was to determine whether sonicated dilutions of albumin with dextrose would improve left ventricular videointensity after intravenous injection in humans and to delineate what ratio of albumin with dextrose results in optimal left ventricular cavitary opacification. We gave intravenous injections (randomized) of sonicated albumin and three different dilutions of albumin with 50% dextrose sonicated at different time intervals (onefold, threefold, and sevenfold dilutions sonicated albumin for 40 seconds and threefold and sevenfold dilutions sonicated albumin for 80 to 100 seconds) to 10 healthy human volunteers. End-diastolic and end-systolic videointensity and mean transit time from the mid-left ventricular cavity were compared after an 8.0 ml intravenous injection of all six samples. The threefold and sevenfold dilutions sonicated for 80 to 100 seconds produced microbubble concentrations similar to those of sonicated albumin but with significantly larger (5.6 microns versus 4.7 microns for sonicated albumin) size. These dilutions produced significantly higher end-diastolic and end-systolic videointensity, area under the time-intensity curve, and mean transit time compared with sonicated albumin or any of the dilutions sonicated for 40 seconds (p < or = 0.005). These data suggest that multifold dilutions of albumin with dextrose produce improved ultrasound contrast.