Characterization of vascular strain during in-vitro angioplasty with high-resolution ultrasound speckle tracking

Prashant Patel,Daewoo Park,William F Weitzel,Thomas J Cichonski,Jonathan M Rubin,Rohan Biswas,Michael S Richards,Sem Phan,James Hamilton

doi:10.1186/1742-4682-7-36

Abstract

BackgroundUltrasound elasticity imaging provides biomechanical and elastic properties of vascular tissue, with the potential to distinguish between tissue motion and tissue strain. To validate the ability of ultrasound elasticity imaging to predict structurally defined physical changes in tissue, strain measurement patterns during angioplasty in four bovine carotid artery pathology samples were compared to the measured physical characteristics of the tissue specimens.MethodsUsing computational image-processing techniques, the circumferences of each bovine artery specimen were obtained from ultrasound and pathologic data.ResultsUltrasound-strain-based and pathology-based arterial circumference measurements were correlated with an R2 value of 0.94 (p = 0.03). The experimental elasticity imaging results confirmed the onset of deformation of an angioplasty procedure by indicating a consistent inflection point where vessel fibers were fully unfolded and vessel wall strain initiated.ConclusionThese results validate the ability of ultrasound elasticity imaging to measure localized mechanical changes in vascular tissue.

Highlights

Peripheral vascular disease is a widespread problem in the United States [1,2,3]
Current treatment options aimed at tissue revascularization are effective; practitioners continue to face the underlying disease process of neointimal hyperplasia leading to restenosis [4,5,6,7]
Ultrasonography with phase-sensitive speckle-tracking algorithms is increasingly used as a robust, noninvasive tool for assessing the mechanical and elastic properties of subsurface structures, including vascular tissue [9,10,11]

Summary

Introduction

Peripheral vascular disease is a widespread problem in the United States [1,2,3]. Current treatment options aimed at tissue revascularization are effective; practitioners continue to face the underlying disease process of neointimal hyperplasia leading to restenosis [4,5,6,7]. Ultrasonography with phase-sensitive speckle-tracking algorithms is increasingly used as a robust, noninvasive tool for assessing the mechanical and elastic properties of subsurface structures, including vascular tissue [9,10,11]. Recent investigation indicates the potential of using Doppler strain rate imaging to clinically assess elastic properties of the vessel wall in patients with coronary artery disease [12]. Beyond the direct strain measurements that have been employed to date, ultrasound elasticity imaging has the potential to distinguish simple tissue motion or “translation” from the strain or “deformation” that we investigate in this study. Ultrasound elasticity imaging provides biomechanical and elastic properties of vascular tissue, with the potential to distinguish between tissue motion and tissue strain. To validate the ability of ultrasound elasticity imaging to predict structurally defined physical changes in tissue, strain measurement patterns during angioplasty in four bovine carotid artery pathology samples were compared to the measured physical characteristics of the tissue specimens

Methods

Results

Conclusion