Clinical and economic outcomes assessment with myocardial contrast echocardiography

Despite the newness of available myocardial contrast echocardiographic agents, there is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates their clinical and economic value. In general, an overall improvement in image quality is seen with the use of intravenous contrast agents in patients with an initially poor acoustic window. The added value of contrast might be especially important for patients undergoing stress echocardiography. Given a similar diagnostic accuracy, shifting of resources from nuclear to stress contrast echocardiographic imaging could provide tremendous cost savings for the limited financial resources of any European country or North American state.