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Bolus versus Continuous Infusion of Microbubble Contrast Agent for Liver US: Initial Experience¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Received September 19, 2004; revision requested November 24; revision received January 31, 2005; accepted February 28. Address correspondence to M.O., Department of Radiology, Kinki University School of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan (e-mail: mokada{at}rad.med.kindai.ac.jp).

Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. To prospectively assess if continuous infusion of galactose-palmitic acid can prolong the duration of hepatic enhancement at ultrasonography over bolus injection, 11 patients received two injections—one bolus injection (2 mL/sec) and one continuous infusion (1.5 mL/min)—with the same dose of galactose-palmitic acid (4 g, 300 mg/dL). Two unenhanced baseline sweep scans (mechanical index of 0.7 and 1.3) of the relevant liver lobe were acquired followed by contrast-enhanced sweeps after bolus injection and continuous infusion. Each sweep was saved as cine loops and analyzed with a personal computer. Duration of enhancement more than 3 dB was prolonged by continuous infusion from 4.3 minutes ± 2.4 (±standard deviation) at bolus injection to 10.1 minutes ± 3.0 (P < .005). Maximal parenchymal enhancement was 11.0 dB ± 3.2 (bolus injection) and 9.2 dB ± 3.8 (infusion, P < .05). Peak liver-to-lesion contrast was 14.2 dB ± 6.3 (bolus injection) and 13.2 dB ± 7.1 (infusion, not significant). Continuous infusion of galactose-palmitic acid markedly prolongs but slightly diminishes hepatic enhancement; liver-to-lesion contrast remains unchanged.

© RSNA, 2005