Patients who are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus often develop chronic liver disease and assessment of the severity of liver injury is required prior to considering viral eradication therapy. This arti...Patients who are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus often develop chronic liver disease and assessment of the severity of liver injury is required prior to considering viral eradication therapy. This article examines the various assessment methods currently available from gold standard liver biopsy to serological markers and imaging. Ultrasound is one of the most widely used imaging modalities in clinical practice and is already a first-line diagnostic tool for liver disease. Microbubble ultrasound contrast agents allow higher resolution images to be obtained and functional assessments of microvascular change to be carried out. The role of these agents in quantifying the state of hepatic injury is discussed as a viable method of determining the stage and grade of liver disease in patients with hepatitis C. Although currently confined to specialist centres, the availability of microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasound will inevitably increase in the clinical setting.展开更多
Objective: To study on the preparation process of a new surfactant-based microbubble ultrasound contrast agent and to evaluate its contrast effects in vivo. Methods: Microbubble ultrasound contrast agent with three es...Objective: To study on the preparation process of a new surfactant-based microbubble ultrasound contrast agent and to evaluate its contrast effects in vivo. Methods: Microbubble ultrasound contrast agent with three ester surfactants and other additives as its shell materials was prepared by sonication. Sulfur hexafluoride was adopted as the inner gas of the microbubbles. New methods through the combination of optical microscope and some softwares were used to measure the size distribution and the concentration of the microbubbles. Some parameters such as the pH value of the phosphate buffer, quantity of the carboxylic methyl cellulose in the shell materials, selection of the ultrasound power and process time, were studied. Six hybirded dogs were used to verify the in vivo contrast imaging of the contrast agent using second harmonic power Doppler modality. Safety and persistent time of the agent inner animal body were also investigated. Results: Ultrasound contrast agent prepared in the experiment had an average microbubble diameter of 3.95 microns with concentration of 3.6×109 microbubbles per millilitre. Carboxylic methyl cellulose was found as an important shell material which had obviously effect on the microbubble stability and production even with a little quantity. The buffer pH value also had a key role on the microbubble formation and the final production. When the buffer pH value reached 7.4, there was no microbubble produced. Under the approximate microbubble production, process time could be shorten with the increasing ultrasound power. The obvious ultrasound contrast imaging effects were detected in the dog's heart chamber and liver as well as kidney using only one millilitre agent when diluted. The agent was found safe to the dogs. At the same time, persistent time of the agent was found over 20 min in the dog's body. Conclusion: The new ultrasound contrast agent prepared in the experiment has high microbubble production and concentration, narrow microbubble size distribution ranging in several microns, well stability, little dosage needed in the contrast, well safety to the dogs and long persistent time, obvious contrast imaging effect in the dog's heart chamber, kidney and liver. These experiment data indicate that the new ultrasound contrast agent with three ester surfactants and carboxylic methyl cellulose as its main shell materials can be further developed for clinical purposes.展开更多
Objective: To investigate the potential of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) in MR imaging for the differentiation between hyperplastic and metastatic lymph node. Methods: Animal models of malignant lymph ...Objective: To investigate the potential of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) in MR imaging for the differentiation between hyperplastic and metastatic lymph node. Methods: Animal models of malignant lymph node metastasis were established in 6 New-Zealand rabbits by a unilateral intra-muscular injection of VX2 carcinoma cells, and models of hyperplastic lymph nodes were induced in another 6 rabbits by a unilateral intra-muscular injection of egg yolk emulsion. MR images of the lymph nodes were obtained before and 12 h after interstitial injection of SPIO. Image results were analyzed and compared with pathological findings. Results: On unenhanced images, the signal intensity of hyperplastic and metastatic lymph nodes did not differ significantly. After administration of SPIO, the signal intensity of both hyperplastic and metastatic lymph nodes remained unchanged on T1-weighted SE images. On T2-weighted SE images, the signal intensity of hyperplastic lymph nodes decreased heterogeneously, while that of all metastatic ones remained unchanged. On T2-weighted GRE images, the signal intensity of hyperplastic lymph nodes decreased significantly and homogeneously, while that of 4 metastatic ones remained unchanged and that of the rest 2 decreased heterogeneously. Conclusion: SPIO-enhanced MR imaging may enable the differentiation between the hyperplastic and metastatic lymph nodes.展开更多
基金the United Kingdom Department of Health, British Medical Research Council, Grant No. G99000178 and the United Kingdom National Health Service Research and Development Initiative
文摘Patients who are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus often develop chronic liver disease and assessment of the severity of liver injury is required prior to considering viral eradication therapy. This article examines the various assessment methods currently available from gold standard liver biopsy to serological markers and imaging. Ultrasound is one of the most widely used imaging modalities in clinical practice and is already a first-line diagnostic tool for liver disease. Microbubble ultrasound contrast agents allow higher resolution images to be obtained and functional assessments of microvascular change to be carried out. The role of these agents in quantifying the state of hepatic injury is discussed as a viable method of determining the stage and grade of liver disease in patients with hepatitis C. Although currently confined to specialist centres, the availability of microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasound will inevitably increase in the clinical setting.
基金Supported by the High Technology Research Development Program of China(863 Program,No.2001AA218031)and the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30270404).
文摘Objective: To study on the preparation process of a new surfactant-based microbubble ultrasound contrast agent and to evaluate its contrast effects in vivo. Methods: Microbubble ultrasound contrast agent with three ester surfactants and other additives as its shell materials was prepared by sonication. Sulfur hexafluoride was adopted as the inner gas of the microbubbles. New methods through the combination of optical microscope and some softwares were used to measure the size distribution and the concentration of the microbubbles. Some parameters such as the pH value of the phosphate buffer, quantity of the carboxylic methyl cellulose in the shell materials, selection of the ultrasound power and process time, were studied. Six hybirded dogs were used to verify the in vivo contrast imaging of the contrast agent using second harmonic power Doppler modality. Safety and persistent time of the agent inner animal body were also investigated. Results: Ultrasound contrast agent prepared in the experiment had an average microbubble diameter of 3.95 microns with concentration of 3.6×109 microbubbles per millilitre. Carboxylic methyl cellulose was found as an important shell material which had obviously effect on the microbubble stability and production even with a little quantity. The buffer pH value also had a key role on the microbubble formation and the final production. When the buffer pH value reached 7.4, there was no microbubble produced. Under the approximate microbubble production, process time could be shorten with the increasing ultrasound power. The obvious ultrasound contrast imaging effects were detected in the dog's heart chamber and liver as well as kidney using only one millilitre agent when diluted. The agent was found safe to the dogs. At the same time, persistent time of the agent was found over 20 min in the dog's body. Conclusion: The new ultrasound contrast agent prepared in the experiment has high microbubble production and concentration, narrow microbubble size distribution ranging in several microns, well stability, little dosage needed in the contrast, well safety to the dogs and long persistent time, obvious contrast imaging effect in the dog's heart chamber, kidney and liver. These experiment data indicate that the new ultrasound contrast agent with three ester surfactants and carboxylic methyl cellulose as its main shell materials can be further developed for clinical purposes.
文摘Objective: To investigate the potential of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) in MR imaging for the differentiation between hyperplastic and metastatic lymph node. Methods: Animal models of malignant lymph node metastasis were established in 6 New-Zealand rabbits by a unilateral intra-muscular injection of VX2 carcinoma cells, and models of hyperplastic lymph nodes were induced in another 6 rabbits by a unilateral intra-muscular injection of egg yolk emulsion. MR images of the lymph nodes were obtained before and 12 h after interstitial injection of SPIO. Image results were analyzed and compared with pathological findings. Results: On unenhanced images, the signal intensity of hyperplastic and metastatic lymph nodes did not differ significantly. After administration of SPIO, the signal intensity of both hyperplastic and metastatic lymph nodes remained unchanged on T1-weighted SE images. On T2-weighted SE images, the signal intensity of hyperplastic lymph nodes decreased heterogeneously, while that of all metastatic ones remained unchanged. On T2-weighted GRE images, the signal intensity of hyperplastic lymph nodes decreased significantly and homogeneously, while that of 4 metastatic ones remained unchanged and that of the rest 2 decreased heterogeneously. Conclusion: SPIO-enhanced MR imaging may enable the differentiation between the hyperplastic and metastatic lymph nodes.
