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Detection of air microbubbles in the internal jugular vein after intravenous injection of contrast agent for the diagnosis of patent foramen ovale
Author(s) -
Ratanakorn Disya,
Myers Lawrence G.,
Tegeler Charles H.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of clinical ultrasound
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.272
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1097-0096
pISSN - 0091-2751
DOI - 10.1002/jcu.10105
Subject(s) - medicine , patent foramen ovale , microbubbles , intracardiac injection , internal jugular vein , transcranial doppler , radiology , shunting , embolism , foramen secundum , paradoxical embolism , cardiology , ultrasound , percutaneous
Abstract The use of agitated air and saline, injected intravenously, combined with monitoring of the middle cerebral artery using transcranial Doppler sonography, is an effective method for detecting paradoxic cerebral embolism caused by right‐to‐left intracardiac shunting. This technique is particularly useful in patients with a patent foramen ovale. In patients without temporal acoustic windows, the method can be modified by using sonographic monitoring of the common carotid artery. Observation of saline‐contrast microbubbles in the internal jugular vein during this procedure suggests incompetence of the ipsilateral internal jugular valve. This noninvasive method may thus be useful for studying the competence of the internal jugular valve. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 30:506–509, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jcu.10105