Vascular ultrasound for atherosclerosis imaging

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the Western world. Therefore, detection and quantification of atherosclerotic disease is of paramount importance to monitor treatment and possible prevention of acute events. Vascular ultrasound is an excellent technique to assess the geometry of vessel walls and plaques. The high temporal as well as spatial resolution allows quantification of luminal area and plaque size and volume. While carotid arteries can be imaged non-invasively, scanning of coronary arteries requires invasive intravascular catheters. Both techniques have already demonstrated their clinical applicability. Using linear array technology , detection of disease as well as monitoring of pharmaceutical treatment in carotid arteries are feasible. Data acquired with intravascular ultrasound catheters have proved to be especially beneficial in understanding the development of atherosclerotic disease in coronary arteries. With the introduction of vascular elastography not only the geometry of plaques but also the risk for rupture of plaques might be identified. These so-called vulnerable plaques are frequently not flow-limiting and rupture of these plaques is responsible for the majority of cerebral and cardiac ischaemic events. Intravascular ultrasound elastography studies have demonstrated a high correlation between high strain and vulnerable plaque features, both ex vivo and in vivo. Additionally, pharmaceutical intervention could be monitored using this technique. Non-invasive vascular elastography has recently been developed for carotid applications by using compound scanning. Validation and initial clinical evaluation is currently being performed. Since abundance of vasa vasorum (VV) is correlated with vulnerable plaque development, quantification of VV might be a unique tool to even prevent this from happening. Using ultrasound contrast agents, it has been demonstrated that VV can be identified and quantified. Although far from routine clinical application, non-invasive and intravascular ultrasound VV imaging might pave the road to prevent atherosclerotic disease in an early phase. This paper reviews the conventional vascular ultrasound techniques as well as vascular ultrasound strain and vascular ultrasound VV imaging.

The simulation of magnetic resonance elastography through atherosclerosis

“…Research is focussed on more definitive diagnostic techniques including, imaging of the plaque composition (Corti and Fuster, 2011), Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jbiomech www.JBiomech.com molecular imaging (Mulder et al, 2014), imaging the tissue stiffness (De Korte et al, 2011) and imaging plaque stresses, known as patient specific modelling (Hoskins and Hardman, 2009). Elastography is the overarching term given to elasticity imaging, using a combination of techniques to mechanically excite the tissue and modalities to image the response (Sarvazyan et al, 2011).…”

Two Automated Techniques for Carotid Lumen Diameter Measurement: Regional versus Boundary Approaches

“…Development of faster hardware and innovative algorithms in the recent years has made it possible to automatically compute the LD [5,10,11]. Due to better image reconstruction tools in ultrasound imaging, such as compound and harmonic imaging, it is now possible to image the carotid artery in real time [8,12]. However, clearly work needs to be done for accurate lumen segmentation.…”

Periodontal disease and atherosclerosis

“…Software then analyzes the waves and converts them into images. 29,30 Radiofrequency is an oscillatory electrical wave in the range of 3 kHz to 300 gHz. Either technique can be used to measure the thickness of the tunica intima and tunica media of the common carotid artery, to monitor intima-media thickening.…”