Article by Andrej Lyshchik, MD, PhD

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a revolutionary technique that combines all the benefits of contract-enhanced imaging with the high-resolution and real-time nature of diagnostic ultrasound. CEUS has undergone many technologic advances resulting in development of second-generation contrast agents and ultrasound equipment with sensitive, contrast-specific imaging modes capable of producing detailed images of tissue perfusion on the capillary level. As a result, this readily available imaging tool is becoming the first-line modality in diagnostic radiology. Its applications, which originated in echocardiography, now include a wide variety of diagnostic and interventional indications in both adult and pediatric patients.

This book is the first comprehensive text on noncardiac applications of CEUS. Our goal in writing Fundamentals of CEUS was to provide, in a single volume, a comprehensive but easy to digest discussion on the most commonly used clinical applications of CEUS. Great care has been given to the selection of topics for this textbook, covering all the major clinical aspects of CEUS. Rather than being too descriptive, we tried to keep the amount of text to a minimum and instead provided more than 1,000 high-resolution images that can deliver the most important and pertinent information to our readers. Interpretation of CEUS requires an understanding of routine B-mode imaging findings, as they are commonly displayed side-by side. Therefore, we have provided a review of both B-mode and CEUS imaging for a variety of common pathologies. Doppler findings are also described in situations where they play a significant role.

We can only hope you will find this book helpful for your daily clinical practice and that it will achieve its goal of improved access to CEUS for all patients in need, inspiring medical practitioners of all disciplines to explore the true potential of CEUS for its tremendous benefits to their patients.

Andrej Lyshchik, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Specialty Imaging: Fundamentals in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound.