Investigation of on skin surface response due to acoustic radiation from stenosed blood vessels

Abstract

Arterial stenosis is a form of cardiovascular disease which leads to highest rate of fatalities worldwide. When stenosis is present in arteries feeding the heart, it leads to heart attack and often sudden death. If occlusion is present in arteries feeding brain, it causes stroke and rapid loss of brain functions. Arterial disease is usually not confined to critical organs such as the heart and the brain but observed throughout the peripheral cardiovascular system. Acoustic radiation due to stenosis propagates through soft tissues and reaches to skin surface. Therefore, these signals detected on skin surface may provide valuable information for diagnostic purposes. In this study, effects of acoustic radiation on skin surface due to a stenosis are investigated. Human upper arm is modeled using commercial finite element software ADINA. Realistic geometries and soft tissue mechanical properties are employed. Acoustic pressure distribution due to constriction is modeled using related studies in literature and applied on inner surface of blood vessel. Harmonic analysis is performed for upper arm and pressure distribution on skin surface is obtained. It is observed that increasing level of stenosis leads to an increase in pressure amplitudes on skin surface where the region which is closest to the constricted artery has the highest pressure amplitudes.