A system for in vitro investigation of ultrasound contrast agent＇s enhancement effect is presented and evaluated. It includes the digital B-mode ultrasound scanner Belson3000A, the tissue-mimicking ultrasound phantoms and the software which is used for image quantitative analysis. The linear range, optimal settings and repeatability of the system are assessed and explored by scanning the ultrasound phantoms with different reflective intensities. The measurements are performed under an acoustic power from 4.8 to 12.3 mW, the scanner centre frequency is 3.5 MH and the gain setting is 50 dB. Both a self-made surfactant encapsulated microbubble and a commercial ultrasound contrast agent are scanned. The results show that the pixel intensity of ultrasonic images increases with the increase in the sound power, and for the stronger reflective phantoms of more particles, the increasing trend is much more evident. The system is optimal for evaluating the microbubble contrast agents＇ enhancement effects. It presents a simple, effective and real-time means for characterizing the enhancement ability of microbubbles.
