Ultrasonic assessment of perfusion conditions in the brain and in the liver

The assessment of perfusion conditions is of great importance for e. g. the diagnosis of ischemic lesions in the brain of stroke patients or of tumors in the liver. Contrast agents in combination with contrast specific imaging techniques offer the chance to visualize perfusion conditions based on an evaluation of time-intensity curves (TICs), where these curves reflect the concentration of microbubbles in the blood pool, the perfusion rate, and the destruction of microbubbles by ultrasound. For two very different applications, namely perfusion imaging in the brain and in abdominal organs, we have developed perfusion imaging strategies. They differ in terms of the contrast agent imaging technique, the administration of the agent, and the data processing.