Claims for Patent: 5,425,366

Summary for Patent: 5,425,366

Title:	Ultrasonic contrast agents for color Doppler imaging
Abstract:	The invention relates to a method for obtaining an ultrasonic image of a patient with ultrasonic color Doppler modality with microparticulate ultrasonic contrast agents in regions where the ultrasonic contrast agents are essentially motionless.
Inventor(s):	Reinhardt; Michael (Berlin, DE), Fritzsch; Thomas (Berlin, DE), Heldmann; Dieter (Berlin, DE), Siegert; Joachim (Berlin, DE)
Assignee:	Schering Aktiengesellschaft (Berlin and Bergkamen, DE)
Application Number:	08/072,748
Patent Claims:	1. A method of obtaining an ultrasonic image of a patient comprising administering to the patient microparticles comprising a cavity containing a gas or a volatile fluid, which particles upon exposure to an effective color Doppler sonography modality produce a Doppler signal when the particles are essentially motionless in the patient, and imaging said patient with an effective ultrasonic color Doppler modality in a region where said microparticles are essentially motionless. 2. A method of claim 1, comprising administering microparticles which comprise a polymeric material having entrapped therein gases and/or fluids having a boiling point below 60.degree. C. in free or bonded form and/or microbubbles comprising a gelatin or albumin microcapsule having a gas or volatile fluid entrapped therein. 3. A method of claim 2, comprising administering microparticles which are gas-filled gelatin microcapsules. 4. A method of claim 2, comprising administering microparticles which are gas-filled microcapsules having walls comprising denatured protein. 5. A method of claim 4, wherein the denatured protein is denatured albumin or human serum albumin. 6. A method of claim 1, comprising administering microparticles which are gas- or liquid-filled microcapsules having walls of a biodegradable polyester of a gas- or liquid-filled polycyanoacrylate or a biodegradable polyester of an .alpha.-, .beta.- or .gamma.-hydroxycarboxylic acid. 7. A method of claim 1, comprising administering microparticles which are gas- or liquid-filled microcapsules having walls of a biodegradable polyaldehyde which optionally contains additives and/or crosslinks capable of copolymerization, surfactants or surfactant mixtures, coupling agents or biomolecules or macromolecules optionally bound by these coupling agents. 8. A method of claim 1, wherein the region where said microparticles are essentially motionless is in the reticuloendothelial system. 9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the region where said microparticles are essentially motionless is in the myocardium. 10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the region where said microparticles are essentially motionless is in the GI tract. 11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the region where said microparticles are essentially motionless is in the lymphatic system, liver or spleen. 12. A method as in claim 1, comprising administering microparticles which are administered in an amount which provides 10.sup.5 -10.sup.7 microparticles per cm.sup.3 of the tissue to be imaged. 13. A method as in claim 1, comprising administering microparticles by peroral, intraarticular, intravesical, transvaginal, intraperitoneal or intravenous administration. 14. A method according to claim 1, comprising administering microparticles which contain a gas which is air, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, ethylene, methane, ethane, propane, butane or a mixture thereof. 15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the patient is imaged with effective ultrasonic radiation and the Doppler effects are photographically recorded as a change in color. 16. A method of obtaining an ultrasonic image of a patient comprising administering to the patient, microparticles comprising a cavity containing a volatile fluid which particles become sited in tissue or a body cavity of said patient and become essentially motionless therein, irradiating such tissue or cavity with an ultrasound frequency of a strength effective to burst said particles and imaging said patient by recording the ultrasound frequencies scattered as a result of said bursting. 17. A method of claim 16, comprising administering microparticles which are gas- or liquid-filled microcapsules having walls of a biodegradable polyester of a gas- or liquid-filled polycyanoacrylate or a biodegradable polyester of an .alpha.-, .beta.- or .gamma.-hydroxycarboxylic acid. 18. A method of claim 16, comprising administering microparticles which are gas- or liquid-filled microcapsules having walls of a biodegradable polyaldehyde, which optionally contains additives and/or crosslinks capable of copolymerization, surfactants or surfactant mixtures, coupling agents or biomolecules or macromolecules optionally bound by these coupling agents. 19. A method of claim 16, wherein the region where said microparticles are essentially motionless is in the reticuloendothelial system, the myocardium or the GI tract.

Details for Patent 5,425,366

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Grifols Therapeutics Llc	ALBUKED, PLASBUMIN-20, PLASBUMIN-25, PLASBUMIN-5	albumin (human)	For Injection	101138	10/21/1942		2012-06-20
Baxalta Us Inc.	BUMINATE, FLEXBUMIN	albumin (human)	Injection	101452	03/03/1954		2012-06-20
Csl Behring Ag	ALBURX	albumin (human)	Injection	102366	07/23/1976		2012-06-20
Grifols Biologicals Llc	ALBUTEIN	albumin (human)	Injection	102478	08/15/1978		2012-06-20
Instituto Grifols, S.a.	HUMAN ALBUMIN GRIFOLS	albumin (human)	Injection	103352	02/17/1995		2012-06-20
Instituto Grifols, S.a.	HUMAN ALBUMIN GRIFOLS	albumin (human)	Injection	103352	06/11/2003		2012-06-20