Imaging of the proximal gastrointestinal tract using an ultrasound contrast agent second generation (SonoVue®) – preliminary study

Purpose: SonoVue® (Bracco) is a commonly used intravenous and body cavities contrast agent. There are individual publications regarding direct oral use, but there's no generally accepted standardized method. Therefore, it was an attempt to assess its own applicability SonoVue® following oral administration.

Material and methods: A total of 180 tests were performed on 45 students aged 22 – 26 years with Philips iU22 system. The study used ultrasound contrast agent SonoVue® which was orally administered using different types of media: still water, commercially available porridge for babies and preparation with a high content of fiber (Colon C®, Lepicol Ltd., UK). Each mixture was prepared three times with different doses of SonoVue® – 20 drops/30 drops/70 drops. Following administration of a mixture of 450 ml each stomach was made up of water. For each sample was measured by the time of appearance of contrast in the esophagus under diaphragm after administration and duration of the contrast in the stomach.

Results: The effect obtained when attempting to connect SonoVue® isolated water was unsatisfactory – the average time of onset of contrast: 1.891 s, mean residence time in the stomach: 31.231 s. A mixture of porridge/water: the average time of onset of contrast – 4.807 s, the average duration of the stomach – 24.673 minutes. Mixture Colon C®/water: the average time of onset of contrast – 5.406 s, mean residence time in the stomach – 31.327 min. The best results were obtained after administration of a mixture of Colon C® water with 30 drops of SonoVue®.

Conclusion: The obtained preliminary data suggest the usefulness of SonoVue® following oral administration for imaging of the proximal gastrointestinal tract, but the images obtained to a large extent depend on the medium used.