Parametric subharmonic imaging using a commercial intravascular ultrasound scanner: an in vivo feasibility study

The feasibility of visualizing atherosclerotic plaque using parametric subharmonic intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was investigated in vivo.

Atherosclerosis was induced in the aorta of 2 rabbits. Following injection of Definity (Lantheus Medical Imaging, North Billerica, MA), radiofrequency IVUS signals were acquired at 40 MHz with a Galaxy IVUS scanner (Boston Scientific/Scimed, Natick, MA). Subharmonic imaging (SHI; receiving at 20 MHz) was performed offline by applying an 8-order equalization filter. Contrast-to-tissue ratios (CTRs) were computed for the vessel relative to the plaque area over 4 time points. Contrast-to-tissue ratios were also calculated for the plaque-tissue and vessel-tissue from 4 tissue regions of interest at 4 time points. Finally, parametric images showing the cumulative maximum intensity (CMI), time to peak, perfusion (PER), and time-integrated intensity (TII) were generated for the fundamental and subharmonic data sets, and CTR measurements were repeated.

Injection of the contrast agent resulted in improved delineation between plaque and the vessel lumen. Subharmonic imaging resulted in noticeable tissue suppression, although the intensity from the contrast agent was reduced. No significant improvement in the plaque to vessel lumen CTR was observed between the subharmonic and fundamental IVUS (2.1 ± 3.64 versus 2.2 ± 4.20; P = .5). However, the CTR for plaque-tissue was improved (11.8 ± 7.32 versus 9.9 ± 7.06; P < .0001) for SHI relative to fundamental imaging. Cumulative-maximum-intensity and TII maps of both fundamental and subharmonic data provided increased CTRs relative to nonparametric data sets (P < .002). Additionally, the CMI, PER, and TII of SHI IVUS showed significantly improved vessel-plaque CTRs for SHI relative to the fundamental (P < .04).

Parametric SHI IVUS of atherosclerotic plaque is feasible and improves the visualization of the plaque.