Putting microbubbles to work in medical ultrasound imaging
Page date: Published 9 Mar 2023; updated 21 Sep 2026. 5 min read.
The article explains how ultrasound contrast agents use tiny gas-filled microbubbles to strengthen reflected signals and improve images of organs and blood vessels. It recounts the development of first-generation Albunex/Infoson, whose air-filled microspheres produced short-lived contrast in some patients, and the later Optison formulation, which used an inert gas and a stabilizing shell. The account attributes these histories and technical details to interviews and cited references.
After production problems in the United States, the article says GE Healthcare built an Oslo manufacturing facility for Optison, which received FDA approval in 2013. It credits the Norwegian team’s specialized manufacturing expertise and logistics with improving production; the article reports that since the 2013 re-release, batches met FDA specifications and the product was used at more than 800 U.S. medical sites. These are claims from the article, not independently verified current product status.
The article includes an outdated market forecast that the contrast-enhanced ultrasound market would double by 2025; this is retained only as a historical forecast. The piece is part of a series on Norwegian ultrasound innovation and was written by Leah Anderson on behalf of EXACT Therapeutics, Innovation Norway, Norway Health Tech, Investinor and NTNU’s Centre for Innovative Ultrasound Solutions. It lists seven related series articles and two references. Contact for ultrasound stories: Masha Strømme, Masha@exact-tx.com.
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