B-Mode Enhancement at Phase-Inversion US with Air-based Microbubble Contrast Agent: Initial Experience in Humans

Pulse- or phase-inversion ultrasonography (US) sums the signals returned from two 180 degrees ultrasound pulses. Linear scattering from tissue results in a signal void while nonlinear signals from microbubbles stand out. The technique was applied with a US contrast agent in 39 human subjects. B-mode enhancement of vessels and organ parenchyma was seen in all cases. Enhancement occurred from flowing and stationary microbubbles. The flow-independent enhancement of normal and abnormal tissue represents a major advance in contrast material-enhanced US with many potential applications especially in tumor imaging.