H. Madjar et al., ENHANCEMENT OF COLOR DOPPLER SIGNALS BY C ONTRAST AGENTS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF BREAST-LESIONS, Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, 53(12), 1993, pp. 866-869
Doppler blood flow measurements allow differentiation of malignant les
ions, that are characterised by an abnormal vascularity. The accuracy
of this method is limited due to the physiological flow variation in n
ormal breast parenchyma and in tumours. Magnetic resonance imaging in
combination with contrast agents can also be used for flow assessment
by measurement of the dynamic contrast enhancement. Recently, a new ec
ho contrast agent (Levovist(R)) has been developed, which survives pul
monary transit and increases the Doppler signal intensity after intrav
enous injection. Fourteen malignancies with low vascularity were selec
ted for the study. Twenty-two seconds after injection of contrast agen
t, the Doppler signal intensity increased dramatically. This demonstra
tes, that echo contrast agents might improve the diagnosis of breast l
esions in case of non-conclusive Doppler findings.