A study presented by Dr. Michael Picard at the American Society of Echocardiography meeting in Seattle showed that contrast-enhanced ultrasound could provide information comparable to nuclear medicine techniques.
Picard, director of clinical echocardiography at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, used a contrast agent, AI-700, being developed by Cambridge, MA-based Acusphere. Picard's research investigated the effects of echo-contrast perfusion and wall motion imaging on detection of perfusion defects.
Myocardial perfusion may be reduced in the presence of coronary artery disease, and is considered one of the most sensitive indicators of heart disease.
According to Picard, the results show very high concordance between ultrasound imaging using AI-700 and nuclear medicine techniques for the assessment of myocardial perfusion in patients with prior myocardial infarction. Acusphere estimates that ultrasound could reduce the cost of perfusion studies by up to three-fold compared to the current standard noninvasive technique of nuclear medicine.
AI-700 is currently in Phase II study, according to the company.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersJuly 19, 2001
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