Silicon Ultrasound(TM) Images Micro-bubbles Injected in the Bloodstream To
Reveal Tumor's Blood Supply, A Key Factor in Distinguishing Benign
From Cancerous Masses
CHICAGO, RSNA Annual Meeting, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Sensant Corp., the
leading developer of silicon-based ultrasound imaging technology, is
presenting images that show improved visualization of micro-vessel blood flow
inside the breast and kidney at the 89th Scientific Assembly and Annual
Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America held this week in
Chicago.
In conjunction with Italian ultrasound system manufacturer Esaote (Bracco
Group), Sensant will present the first clinical images showing micro-vessel
blood flow to breast tumors using Silicon Ultrasound(TM) technology and the
SonoVue(R) ultrasound contrast agent. The images, taken by Dr. Alberto
Martegani and Dr. Luca Aiani of the Valduce Hospital in Como, Italy more
clearly illuminate blood flow in tiny capillary vessels that feed breast
tumors, an important first step in improving cancer diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, Sensant will present Silicon Ultrasound images from a recent
animal study that also used contrast agents to show detailed blood flow in
kidney tissue.
Silicon Ultrasound and Contrast: Providing Crucial Information on Tumor
Blood Supply
Ultrasound contrast agents consist of millions of microbubbles, each
smaller than the size of a single red blood cell, that are injected
intravenously into the bloodstream. Ultrasound contrast agents such as SonoVue
are chemically inert and, unlike many x-ray and magnetic resonance contrast
agents, are not associated with toxic side-effects. When subject to
ultrasound, the microbubbles produce a harmonic "ringing" that makes them
visible in the ultrasound image. Because the acoustic properties of the tiny
silicon "drums" that compose a Silicon Ultrasound sensor have a much broader
frequency response than conventional ultrasound technology, Silicon Ultrasound
detects the ringing contrast microbubbles with improved resolution and
produces superior images of blood flow.
With Silicon Ultrasound and contrast agents, physicians can visualize flow
in the microscopic vessels supplying blood to a tumor. The small size of the
contrast agent's microbubbles (a mean diameter of 2.5 microns, slightly less
than red blood cells) enables them to pass through the vast network of the
body's arterial branches, and into the capillary vessels where flow is 1000x
slower than in the aorta. Once in the vessels, contrast agents will appear on
a contrast-enhanced ultrasound image, making them ideal for imaging the
micro-vessels, not otherwise visible with ultrasound, that supply blood to
tumors.
Silicon Ultrasound, Contrast Agents, and Breast Cancer: Saving Lives and
Improving the Diagnostic Process
Silicon Ultrasound with contrast has the potential to reduce cost and
improve the patient experience by reducing the high rate of invasive biopsies,
procedures described by patients as both physically and emotionally traumatic.
Over one million biopsies were performed last year on women in the United
States, and nearly 80% proved to be negative. By some estimates, there are
nearly one million potentially unnecessary biopsies at a cost of approximately
$1 billion per year in the U.S.
Ultrasound is already widely used as an adjunct to mammography to rule out
benign cysts, and ultrasound with contrast may take this a step farther by
distinguishing benign from cancerous masses. Research with contrast-enhanced
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and early research with contrast-enhanced
ultrasound, suggest that vessels associated with malignant tumors are
typically arranged in a disorderly, tangled fashion with sharp kinks while
benign masses are characterized by low flow or regular, organized vessels.
With the additional information on blood flow in a tumor's micro-vessels,
physicians may be able to rule out many suspicious masses without invasive
biopsy.
In the future, Silicon Ultrasound technology used in conjunction with
contrast agents as a primary screening modality may also save lives by
providing more informative images that may enable earlier and more accurate
diagnosis of malignant breast tumors. Promising initial research using MRI
with contrast demonstrates high rates of breast cancer detection in the
highest risk women. Ultrasound imaging with contrast, at one-tenth the cost,
may offer similar advantages for a much larger group of women.
Sensant CEO Igal Ladabaum commented, "The potential improvement in
contrast agent imaging with Silicon Ultrasound is good news in the fight
against cancer, and the work on breast tumor imaging with contrast is
particularly exciting. Although it's at an early stage, the potential positive
ramifications for women are undeniable. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound, and the
new diagnostic information it provides, may one day save lives by detecting
cancer earlier, and it may also provide a faster, less expensive, and less
invasive diagnostic process."
About Sensant Corp.
Founded in 1998, Sensant Corp is leading the development of silicon-based
sensors for medical ultrasound imaging. Based on its Silicon Ultrasound(TM)
transducer technology, Sensant provides a revolutionary technology platform to
leading medical imaging companies. Silicon Ultrasound(TM) is the enabling
technology for major innovations such as volumetric, three-dimensional imaging
and improved visualization of tumors using ultrasound contrast agents. Such
advances will provide physicians with more informative images that will help
to deliver better quality care more quickly and economically.
NOTE: SonoVue(R) is a registered trademark of Bracco, S.p.A.
SOURCE Sensant Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.sensant.com
CONTACT:
Amy Janzen, +1-917-209-6819, or
ajanzen@access.net, for Sensant Corp.
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