In vitro performance of echoPIV for assessment of laminar flow profiles in a carotid artery stent.

Astrid M Hoving,Jason Voorneveld,Cornelis H Slump,Erik Groot Jebbink,Johan G Bosch,Julia Mikhal

doi:10.1117/1.jmi.8.1.017001

Astrid M Hoving, Jason Voorneveld + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jmi.8.1.017001

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Abstract

.Purpose: Detailed blood flow studies may contribute to improvements in carotid artery stenting. High-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound followed by particle image velocimetry (PIV), also called echoPIV, is a technique to study blood flow patterns in detail. The performance of echoPIV in presence of a stent has not yet been studied extensively. We compared the performance of echoPIV in stented and nonstented regions in an in vitro flow setup.Approach: A carotid artery stent was deployed in a vessel-mimicking phantom. High-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound images were acquired with various settings. Signal intensities of the contrast agent, velocity values, and flow profiles were calculated.Results: The results showed decreased signal intensities and correlation coefficients inside the stent, however, PIV analysis in the stent still resulted in plausible flow vectors.Conclusions: Velocity values and laminar flow profiles can be measured in vitro in stented arteries using echoPIV.

Highlights

Carotid artery stenosis and rupture of atherosclerotic plaque result in a high risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack
We evaluated the performance of echo-particle image velocimetry (echoPIV) inside a stent in an in vitro flow setup
We have evaluated the effect of a carotid artery stent on contrast agent signal intensity and the accuracy of echoPIV-derived velocities inside the stented region

Summary

Introduction

Carotid artery stenosis and rupture of atherosclerotic plaque result in a high risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack. In case a patient suffers from severe carotid artery stenosis, treatment is indicated. The plaque can be removed surgically, or a stent can be placed to reopen the artery during a minimally invasive procedure. Surgery is preferred over stenting, due to the higher peri-procedural stroke risk of stenting compared with surgery.[1,2] long-term outcomes of stenting are comparable with those of surgery.[3,4] This suggests that technical developments to the peri-procedural process might improve the stenting procedure. Investigation into carotid artery stenting is of interest

Results

Discussion

Conclusion