[Dynamic assessment of contrast medium enhancement in Doppler ultrasound imaging. Current status]

Findings in previous investigations have indicated that contrast-enhanced colour Doppler can be used to improve the demonstration of characteristic features of neovascularization in malignancies. However, the quantification of the increase in colour Doppler signals after Levovist in the cited study relied only on descriptive criteria defined by the investigator, resulting in a subjective scoring system. A computer-assisted method for quantitative analysis of colour pixel density is a novel approach for objective assessment of colour Doppler signal after contrast media administration. After microbubble contrast medium injection in 47 patients, carcinomas and benign lesions behaved differently regarding degree, onset and duration of Doppler enhancement. However, the high interindividual variability and the temporal variations of the Doppler signal still limit the value of these criteria for prospective diagnosis. Rapid image-acquisition techniques are needed in order to apply the necessary mathematical processing before the contrast kinetics can be used for diagnostic purposes.