The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lumason (sulfur hexafluoride lipid microsphere) for patients whose ultrasound image of the heart (echocardiograms) are hard to see with ultrasound waves.

Lumason is a contrast agent made up of gas-filled microbubbles (or microspheres) that reflect the sound waves to enhance the image. Lumason helps a physician see a patient’s heart more clearly, allowing for clearer imaging of the left ventricle chamber and the smooth edge on the inside of the chambers of the heart, known as the endocardium. 

“Sometimes echocardiograms in certain patients are difficult for physicians to see and interpret,” said Libero Marzella, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Medical Imaging Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Today’s approval provides doctors with another option when performing contrast enhanced ultrasound.”

For more details, go to: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm418509.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery