The shell makes the difference

(PhysOrg.com) -- Contrast echography is a commonly used medical imaging technique that is used to show up abnormal blood circulation in organs and tumours. The method makes use of ultrasound and a contrast agent containing special microbubbles. The bubbles are coated with a thin protective layer to prevent them from dissolving in the blood. Until now it was assumed that this layer limited the echo, but now Marlies Overvelde of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, has shown that it is precisely the shell that determines the sensitivity of contrast echography. Her discovery brings the prospect of new diagnostic techniques.

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