Absorption and scatter of encapsulated gas filled microspheres: theoretical considerations and some measurements

Albunex is an ultrasound contrast agent for use in echocardiology and other areas. It is capable of passing the lung circulation after intravenous injection. A theoretical model is developed for some acoustic properties, particularly the scatter and absorption, of this contrast agent, considering the individual microspheres as air bubbles surrounded by a thin shell. The attenuation, the sum of absorption and scatter, of this contrast medium is measured with five transducers to cover the frequency range from 700 kHz to 8.5 MHz. It is concluded that the model correlates well with these acoustic measurements. When Albunex is used intravenously the backscatter enhancement in the left ventricle is caused mainly by the microspheres with diameters between 5 and 8 microns.