Icon Legend

This session is not in your schedule.

This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.

Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation

Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation - Poster Session C & D

V3 - Effects of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents on the Generation of Acoustic Cavitation: An In Vitro Study

Friday, October 10, 2025

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PDT

Location: Exhibit Hall F, G & H

Presenting Author(s)

Nathan Sambo

Graduate Research Assistant
Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, United States

Co-Author(s)

LR

Lauren N. Ruger, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate
Virginia Tech, United States
TZ

Timothy Ziemlewicz

Associate Residency Program Director
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, United States
AM

Adam D. Maxwell, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Last Author(s)

EV

Eli Vlaisavljevich, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Introduction: : Contrast enhanced imaging is commonly used to improve treatment planning and targeted for histotripsy procedures. This study examines the effects of commonly used computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents on cavitation formation in vitro in order to assess whether these particles may increase the likelihood of cavitation during histotripsy procedures and pose a potential safety risk.

Materials and

Methods: : Common MRI and CT contrast agents at clinically relevant dilutions (n=6 per agent) were exposed to single-cycle 500-kHz histotripsy pulses at a pulse repetition frequency of 500 Hz. Samples (4 mL) were secured in an acoustically transmissive holder composed of plasticized polyvinyl chloride (Tygon®). The samples were sonicated with 100 pulses at varying pressure levels between 1 to 32 MPa, and the cavitation events were captured using high speed optical imaging.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions::

Results: Image analysis of high-speed photographs indicated that at pressures >10 MPa the probability of cavitation was non-zero for all of the contrast agents groups (Dotareme, Eovist, Feraheme, Multihance, and Omnipaque) as well as the degassed, deionized water control samples (Figure 1A). The measured cavitation thresholds (the lowest pressure where cavitation was observed >50% of pulses) (Figure 1B) were between 12.49 ± 3.01 MPa and 13.72 ± 2.38 MPa, with no statistically significant differences measured between any of the contrast agent samples and the water control samples (p- = 13.30 ± 1.88 MPa).

Conclusions: CT and MRI contrast agents tested in this study did not significantly change the likelihood of generating histotripsy cavitation, suggesting that the presence of these contrast agents does not pose a safety risk during histotripsy. Further studies are underway to investigate these agents in vivo.

Acknowledgements and/or References (Optional): : This work was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (Grant #R01EB032773).