Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 14, Issue 10 735-740, Copyright © 1995 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Influence of postprocessing curves on contrast-echographic imaging: preliminary studies
C. M. Sehgal, P. H. Arger and C. R. Pugh
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of postprocessing
curves on the visual and quantitative enhancement of image brightness
caused by the injection of a contrast agent. A fixed dose (0.45 ml/kg) of
contrast agent EchoGen was injected into three dogs, and images of the
kidney were investigated using one linear (A) and three nonlinear (B, C, D)
postprocessing curves. Curve D gave the best gray scale images and was
generally used for diagnostic imaging. Images were analyzed qualitatively
in three dogs and quantitatively in one dog for brightness change caused by
contrast agent injection. Visually the changes were most identifiable with
curve C and least by curve D. Video intensity time curves reflected the
qualitative changes. Peak contrast and area under the video density curve
changed in the order curve D < curve B approximately curve A < curve
C. Choice of the postprocessing curve can have a marked influence on the
enhancement of image brightness by a contrast agent. Postprocessing curves
optimized to display a wide range of echo levels may not always be an ideal
choice for contrast sonography.
