myocardial contrast echocardiography

myocardial contrast echocardiography

An imaging tool for assessing myocardial microcirculation, which utilises inert-gas-filled microbubbles that remain entirely within the vascular space and possess an intravascular rheology similar to that of red blood cells. During IV infusion of the microbubbles and attainment of a steady state, the microbubbles are destroyed with high-energy ultrasound. The rate of microbubble replenishment within the ultrasound beam is measured, a value which corresponds to mean red cell velocity.

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myocardial contrast echocardiography

Cardiology A technique in which microbubbles of albumin containing a high molecular weight gas are injected IV to evaluate the coronary arterial blood flow. See Contrast echocardiography, Sonicated albumin.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.