[Update on the use of contrast agents in ultrasonography: a review of the clinical guidelines of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB)].

The aim of this article is to review the current indications for the use of contrast agents in ultrasonography in imaging departments with reference to the guidelines and recommendations recently published by the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB). The article begins with a brief description of currently available contrast agents, of their adverse effects and contraindications, and of the specific techniques that enable the signal emitted from the microbubbles in the contrast to be detected. Next, we review the indications for ultrasound contrast agents both in the liver (detecting and characterizing focal lesions as well as guiding and monitoring percutaneous treatments) and outside the liver (in the kidney, vesicoureteral reflux, pancreas, traumatisms, and cerebral circulation). For each of the indications, first we describe the interpretation of the findings, then the recommended uses, and finally the limitations of the technique. Finally, we review all the other applications that have yet to be included in the EFSUMB guidelines.