Risk Assessment of Carotid Plaques Using 3D Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound

Exclusion Criteria

• •• Pregnancy or breast-feeding at the time of the scan
• •* Patients with known hypersensitivity or allergy to any component (including perflutren) of Definity (Lantheus Medical Imaging, Billerica, MA).
• •* Patients who are medically unstable, patients who are seriously or terminally ill, and patients whose clinical course is unpredictable. For example:
• •* Patients on life support or in a critical care unit.
• •* Patients with unstable occlusive disease (e.g., crescendo angina).
• •* Patients with clinically unstable cardiac arrhythmias, such as recurrent ventricular tachycardia.
• •* Patients with uncontrolled congestive heart failure (NYHA Class IV).
• •* Patients with recent cerebral hemorrhage.
• •* Patients who have undergone surgery within 24 hours prior to the study sonographic examination.
• •* Patients with unstable cardiopulmonary conditions (acute myocardial infarction, acute coronary artery syndromes, worsening or unstable congestive heart failure, or serious ventricular arrhythmias) or respiratory distress syndrome.
• •* Patients with uncontrollable emphysema, pulmonary vasculitis, pulmonary hypertension or a history of pulmonary emboli.
• •* Patients who have received any contrast medium (X-ray, MRI, CT or ultrasound) in the 24 hours prior to the research ultrasound exam