ABSTRACT
Much of the initial work in molecular imaging of endothelial adhesion molecules was performed using ultrasound detection, and real-time ultrasound imaging of endothelial adhesion molecules has been achieved in animal models of a number of clinical conditions, such as transplant rejection (Weller et al. 2003), ischemiareperfusion injury (Villanueva et al. 2007), and atherosclerosis (Kaufmann et al. 2007), using acoustically active micro-or nano-particle contrast agents. e most intensively studied are gas- lled microspheres (or ‘microbubbles’) (2-8 μm in diameter); the size of these spheres ensures that they stay in the intra-vascular compartment and can adhere to their endothelial target (Fig. 1). Although gas- lled microbubbles are approved for myocardial contrast imaging in humans, no targeted ultrasound contrast agents have yet been approved for use in humans.
