A review of high-speed optical imaging technology for the analysis of ultrasound contrast agents in an acoustic field

Abstract

Stabilized microbubbles were commercialized over 30 years ago for use as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging. In recent years, interest in microbubble–acoustic interactions has expanded to applications not only in ultrasound imaging but also in drug and gene delivery. To understand the interaction of a microbubble and ultrasonic field, scientists optically observe the behavior of microbubbles during acoustic excitation. Because of the fast oscillations of microbubbles in ultrasound fields, the application of ultra-high-speed photography is required to capture bubble behavior. This manuscript reviews the approaches, challenges, and progress in high-speed imaging systems utilized for microbubble analysis, focusing on innovations in camera technology.