Particles are provided for use in therapeutic and/or diagnostic procedures. The particles include poly[bis(trifluoroethoxy) phosphazene] and/or a derivatives thereof which may be present throughout the particles or within an outer coating of the particles. The particles can also include a core having a hydrogel formed from an acrylic-based polymer. Barium sulfate may also be provided to the core of the particles as a coating or absorbed within the core of the particles. The particles can be used to minimize blood flow to mammalian tissues by occluding at least a portion of a blood vessel of the mammal, or to deliver an active agent to a localized area within a body of a mammal by contacting a localized area with at least one of the particles. Further, the particles are useful in sustained release formulations including active agent(s) for oral administration, as tracer particles for injection into the bloodstream of a mammal or for use in enhanced ultrasound imaging. The particles may include agents for increasing density for achieving useful buoyancy levels in suspension.

Implantable materials may be used in an iatrogenic site. Applications include radioopaque materials for fiducial marking.

A composition for use in radiology includes glass micro bubbles, Araldite, Jeffamine, magnesium oxide, and polyethylene. Another composition or use in radiology may include glass micro bubbles, an epoxy, acrylic, or polyurethane, and polyethylene. This composition may result in an elemental composition including carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium. A composition for use in radiology may include glass micro bubbles, araldite, jeffamine, calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, polyethylene, and a pigment and the composition includes an elemental composition including carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, silicon, and magnesium.

Particles are provided for use in therapeutic and/or diagnostic procedures. The particles include poly[bis(trifluoroethoxy)phosphazene] and/or a derivatives thereof which may be present throughout the particles or within an outer coating of the particles. The particles can also include a core having a hydrogel formed from an acrylic-based polymer. Such particles may be provided to a user in specific selected sizes to allow for selective embolization of certain sized blood vessels or localized treatment with an active component agent in specific clinical uses. Microspheres of the present invention may further be provided with physical and/or chemical enhancements within the particles' cores to enhance visualization of the embolized tissue using a variety of medical imaging modalities, including conventional radiography, fluoroscopy, tomography, computerized tomography, ultrasound, scintillation, magnetic resonance, or other imaging technologies.

Implantable materials may be used in an iatrogenic site. Applications include radioopaque materials for fiducial marking.

A method includes determining a shunt fraction of microbeads by comparing a known ratio of a mixture of smaller microbeads loaded with a first contrast agent to larger microbeads loaded with a second contrast agent changes to a diffused ratio of the smaller microbeads to the larger microbeads after the mixture has been administered to a treatment site.

A radiopaque composition is provided that includes an inorganic opacifying agent distributed through an aqueous gelatinous substance in an aqueous solvent. A process for making a radiodense vascular fill composition includes adding a gelatinous substance to an aqueous solution. An inorganic opacifying agent suspension is formed in a saline solution or water. The inorganic opacifying agent and gelatin are mixed with water or saline. A process of imaging a vascular system of a subject includes placing a subject under anesthesia or sedation and exsanguinating the subject. An isotonic fluid is then flushed through the vascular system and the radiopaque composition is infused into the subject circulatory system at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius or greater. After waiting a given time interval for the radiopaque composition to cool and form a solid gel, an imaging scan is performed on the subject.

The present invention provides an encapsulated gas or partial vacuum particle contrast media for use in CT imaging. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention provides an enteric contrast medium formulation. An exemplary formulation comprises, (a) an enteric contrast medium comprising a encapsulated gas or partial vacuum particle suspended in water. Exemplary encapsulated gas or partial vacuum particle has a specific gravity between 0.2 and 1.5. In various embodiments, the encapsulated gas or partial vacuum particle is suspended in aqueous media by an agent compatible with enteric administration of the formulation to a subject in need of such administration. In an exemplary embodiment, the contrast material is incorporated into a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier in which the material is suspended homogeneously. In an exemplary embodiment, the encapsulated gas or partial vacuum particle comprises 5% or more of the weight of the contrast material formulation. The invention also provides methods for imaging of the abdomen by dual energy CT or spectral CT contemporaneously with the delivery of the encapsulated gas or partial vacuum particle contrast material into the bowel lumen with or without the delivery of a second complementary contrast material into the blood vessels or other body compartments. The invention also provides methods for the digital separation of CT signal produced by the contrast media of the invention from the CT signal produced by other contrast media or bodily tissues to generate multiple resultant CT images with the contrast medium of the invention subtracted or highlighted.

A nanocarbon-iodine calcium alginate microspheres and a preparation method thereof are provided, the nanocarbon is added to the microspheres to enhance an imaging capability of iodine under X-ray, which is a good way to solve a problem that an embolic agent in clinical application cannot be imaged under X-ray. In addition, the preparation method is simple with good stability and safety. It is proved through experiments that the microspheres can be imaged under conventional interventional X-ray examination devices in CT and DSA, it is proved through animal experiments that the microspheres have good X-ray imaging performance and embolization effect.

A method includes determining a shunt fraction of microbeads by comparing a known ratio of a mixture of smaller microbeads loaded with a first contrast agent to larger microbeads loaded with a second contrast agent changes to a diffused ratio of the smaller microbeads to the larger microbeads after the mixture has been administered to a treatment site.