Determination of the interfacial rheological properties of a poly(DL-lactic acid)-encapsulated contrast agent using in vitro attenuation and scattering.

The stabilizing encapsulation of a microbubble-based ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) critically affects its acoustic properties. Polymers, which behave differently from materials commonly used (i.e.

In vitro measurement of attenuation and nonlinear scattering from echogenic liposomes.

Echogenic liposomes (ELIP) are an excellent candidate for concurrent imaging and drug delivery applications. They combine the advantages of liposomes-biocompatibility and ability to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs-with strong reflections of ultrasound. The objective of this study is to perform a detailed in vitro acoustic characterization - including nonlinear scattering that has not been studied before - along with an investigation of the primary mechanism of echogenicity.