Ultrasound-based Pulse Wave Velocity Evaluation in Mice

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Arterial stiffness, quantified by pulse wave velocity (PWV), is a key indicator of vascular health.
• Rodent models are crucial for studying cardiovascular disease progression and the effects of treatments.
• Non-invasive methods for assessing arterial stiffness in mice are essential for translational research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an ultrasound-based image processing algorithm for non-invasive measurement of abdominal aorta PWV in mice.
• To assess age-associated changes in arterial stiffness using the developed technique.
• To establish a versatile tool for characterizing elastic properties of different arterial sites in mice.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing high-frequency ultrasound (US) devices to acquire B-mode and Pulse-Wave Doppler (PW-Doppler) images of the mouse abdominal aorta under anesthesia.
• Employing edge detection and contour tracking algorithms to determine instantaneous diameter and mean velocity from US images.
• Constructing diameter-velocity (lnD-V) loops and calculating PWV from the slope of the linear segment corresponding to the early systolic phase.

Main Results:

• Successfully implemented an image processing algorithm for non-invasive PWV measurement in the mouse abdominal aorta.
• Demonstrated the capability to assess age-related changes in arterial stiffness.
• Validated the technique's potential for multi-site arterial stiffness assessment, including the carotid artery.

Conclusions:

• The developed ultrasound-based image processing algorithm provides a non-invasive method for evaluating arterial stiffness in mice.
• This technique offers valuable anatomical and functional insights into the mouse aorta, crucial for cardiovascular research.
• The algorithm's adaptability allows for extension to other vascular districts, enabling comprehensive arterial stiffness characterization.