Abstract
More than 2 years have passed since Levovist®, a clinically applicable contrast agent for image diagnosis by intravenous ultrasonography, was approved. After start of the clinical use, there were advances in the ultrasonographic apparatuses, and as a result of positive efforts for clinical application, the usefulness of this compound was recognized in such areas as differential diagnosis of tumorous lesions by evaluation of blood flow pattern mainly in the liver especially in the abdominal field ; and evaluation of effectiveness in the localized treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma ; and its usefulness as a guide for additional treatment was also recognized. At the same time, a study was conducted on the interaction between micro-bubble and exposure to ultrasound, and a possibility of its use in DDS was suggested. In this paper, we summarized the background leading to the development of this contrast agent for ultrasonography, and future possibilities of this compound was also discussed.
