Multichannel pulsed Doppler signal processing for vascular measurements in mice

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiovascular Research
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Mouse models are crucial for studying vascular disease.
• Existing methods lack the necessary resolution for murine vascular research.
• High-fidelity measurement of physiological parameters in mice is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an ultrasound-based system for mouse vascular research (MVRS).
• To enable detailed characterization of vascular physiology in various mouse models.
• To improve the assessment and screening of vascular diseases in mice.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiple 10/20MHz ultrasound transducers and advanced Doppler techniques.
• Developed specialized analog and digital electronics for signal acquisition and processing.
• Integrated PC-based software for real-time and off-line data analysis.

Main Results:

• The MVRS achieved high spatial and temporal resolutions for tissue displacement and velocity.
• Demonstrated capability to measure micro-displacements (0.1 μm) and velocities from 0 μm/s.
• Accurately measured high blood velocities (up to 9 m/s) with 0.1 ms temporal resolution.
• Ex vivo validation showed high correlation (R²=0.99) with video pixel tracking.

Conclusions:

• The developed MVRS is a powerful tool for quantitative vascular research in mice.
• The system facilitates comprehensive analysis of vascular mechanics and hemodynamics.
• MVRS significantly impacts the evaluation and screening of vascular diseases in murine models.