Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1762843 | Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology | 2007 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Delayed parenchymal phase images of the liver more than 5 min after IV injection of ultrasound contrast agents are thought to be related to the phagocytosis of contrast agent microbubbles by macrophages. In this study, we examined whether liver-specific macrophages, Kupffer cells, phagocytosed the microbubbles and whether their elimination affected the delayed parenchymal images of the liver. Phase-contrast microscope observations showed that Kupffer cells phagocytosed various contrast agents in vitro. Among the contrast agents used, 99% of Sonazoid⢠and Optisonâ¢, and 47% of Levovist⢠were phagocytosed, whereas only 7.3% of SonoVue⢠and 0% of Imavist⢠were phagocytosed. Elimination of Kupffer cells in vivo by gadolinium chloride (GdCl3) resulted in decreased intensity of the delayed parenchymal images with Sonazoid⢠and Levovistâ¢, while SonoVue⢠showed no changes compared with control. Our findings suggested that Kupffer cells phagocytosed contrast agents and they were responsible for the delayed images of contrast ultrasound in the liver. (E-mail: moriyasu@tokyo-med.ac.jp)
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Physics and Astronomy
Acoustics and Ultrasonics
Authors
Kyosuke Yanagisawa, Fuminori Moriyasu, Takeo Miyahara, Miyata Yuki, Hiroko Iijima,