Contrast-enhanced Chest Ultrasound – Modern Achievements of Pulmonology in Bulgaria

Abstract

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is an innovative imaging method in pulmonology based on the intravenous administration of a contrast medium in the form of microspheres, and the subsequent detailed representation of the perfusion characteristics of the target tissues. The method allows the distinction between malignant and benign origin of a given pathological lesion. The purpose of the current article is to introduce to the scientific society the modern achievements of contrast-enhanced ultrasound of the thorax in pulmonology in Bulgaria. We present twenty-seven clinical cases from the period 2017--2020, in which CEUS was applied at different stages of the diagnostic process. The results are compared with a previous survey conducted in Bulgaria in 2011.