Estimation of arterial wall strain based on IVUS image registration

In this study, we propose a method to estimate arterial wall strain using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images. The method is based on a nonrigid image registration algorithm, which represents the displacement field by cubic B-splines, and incorporates smoothness and incompressibility constraints. The 2D displacement field is then used to calculate the local strain tensors. With the 2D strain tensors, both radial and circumferential strain distributions can be obtained, and color-coded for display. The algorithm has been evaluated with synthetic motion IVUS images and phantom IVUS images under two luminal pressures.