Functional imaging of tissue response to bolus injection of ultrasound contrast agent

There is strong evidence that quantitative analysis of Doppler changes after the application of a bolus of contrast can provide useful functional information. Recent studies have demonstrated that indices derived from plots of the signal intensity versus time can reflect the function of the tissue under investigation and improve the sensitivity and specificity in tumour imaging. A natural extension to this work is the production of two-dimensional parametric functional images. The additional spatial information provided by such images will be of particular value in the study and detection of heterogeneous disease such as tumours. This technique is applicable in a wide range of imaging situations. Clinical evaluation of this novel approach is ongoing and preliminary results are promising.