Assessment of myocardial perfusion by contrast echocardiography.

Contrast echocardiography delineates myocardial perfusion and has the potential for quantitating coronary flow and assessing myocardial viability. These applications add important physiologic information to the anatomic information readily available from conventional echocardiography. Because it can be rapidly performed at the bedside, contrast echocardiography may be valuable tool for the use in acute myocardial ischemia. When contrast echocardiography has been used after recanalization of occluded coronary arteries, the assessment of myocardial salvage conveys information concerning reflow, stunning, and prognosis, and in the case of angioplasty it provides immediate information regarding the success of the procedure. Contrast echocardiography can also assess myocardial areas at risk of irreversible damage and the presence or absence of collateral flow. Myocardial contrast echocardiography is a rapidly changing field and with the continued development of newer contrast agents and refinement of ultrasound imaging equipment, the applications of contrast echocardiography will continue to grow.