Safety Findings after Intravenous Administration of Sulfur Hexafluoride Microbubbles to 463,434 Examinations at 24 Centers.

OBJECTIVES:We aimed to evaluate the safety of the ultrasound contrast agent sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles in a large group of patients referred for routine contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).METHODS:A retrospective assessment was made of all patients that received sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles intravenously for CEUS at 24 centers between January 2006 and April 2019. Patient demographic details, examination type, and the dose of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles administered were recorded with specific adverse events (AEs) documentation tools at each center. All AEs were recorded as serious or non-serious. Non-serious AEs were classified by intensity as mild, moderate, or severe according to ACR criteria. The frequencies of AEs across patient subgroups were compared using the chi-square test.RESULTS:A total of 463,434 examinations were evaluated. Overall, 157 AEs (153 [0.033%] non-serious; 4 [0.001%] serious) were reported after sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles administration, giving an AE frequency of 0.034% (157/463,434). Among the non-serious AEs, 66 (0.014%) were mild, 70 (0.015%) moderate, and 17 (0.004%) severe in intensity. The liver was the most common examination site, presenting an AE frequency of 0.026%. The highest AE frequency (0.092%) was for patients undergoing CEUS for vascular disease. There were no significant gender differences in either the total number or the severity of non-serious AEs (chi-square = 2.497, p = 0.287). The onset of AEs occurred within 30 min of sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles administration in 91% of cases.CONCLUSION:The frequency of AEs to sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles is very low and severe reactions are rare, confirming that sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles are appropriate for routine CEUS applications.KEY POINT:• The frequency of AEs to sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles is very low and severe reactions are rare.