Comparison of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles and perfluorobutane for performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography of the pancreas in dogs.

Objective: To compare qualitative features and quantitative parameters of 2 contrast agents (sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles [SHM; SonoVue] and perfluorobutane [PFB; Sonazoid]) for performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) of the pancreas in dogs.

Animals: 8 healthy Beagles.

Procedures: In a crossover study design, CEUS of the pancreas was performed twice in each dog, once with SHM and once with PFB, in random order with at least 3 days between examinations. The recorded cine images were qualitatively assessed for homogeneity of pancreatic enhancement and conspicuity of the pancreatic signal relative to the background. For the quantitative assessment, circular regions of interest were placed over the pancreatic body, and a time-intensity curve was obtained. For each region of interest, CEUS parameters including peak intensity (PI), time to peak pancreatic enhancement, area under the curve (AUC), and wash-in rate were obtained.

Results: The homogeneity of the pancreatic parenchyma was not significantly different between contrast agents. The signal conspicuity relative to background noise was significantly higher with PFB than with SHM. Mean values of PI, wash-in rate, and AUC were significantly higher with PFB than with SHM. Time to peak enhancement was not significantly different between contrast agents.

Conclusions And Clinical Relevance: Pancreatic CEUS with SHM and PFB produced similar homogeneity scores, but only PFB provided excellent signal conspicuity. Perfluorobutane produced higher values of PI, wash-in rate, and AUC. Findings indicated that PFB can provide homogeneous and strong enhancement of the pancreas during CEUS in healthy dogs and that pancreatic CEUS parameter values differ with the contrast agent used.