Guidelines released by the European Society of Cardiology strongly recommend the use of an ultrasound contrast agent during echocardiography.
The recommendation is included in the organization's "Guidelines for the management of chronic coronary syndromes," published Aug. 30 in the European Heart Journal.
"Ultrasound contrast agents considerably enhance the quality of diagnostic images obtained during stress echocardiography," the guidelines said, adding the use of a contrast agent "markedly" improves echocardiography accuracy.
The recommendation is supported by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging and the American Society of Echocardiography, according to the European Society of Cardiology.
Read more about the recently published guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology for elevated blood pressure and hypertension, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial and aortic diseases and other chronic coronary syndromes here.