Non-Invasive Estimation of Localized Dynamic Luminal Pressure Change by Ultrasound Elastography in Arteries With
Insights
This study introduces a novel mathematical model and ultrasound elastography to noninvasively estimate arterial luminal pressure changes from wall deformation and stiffness. The method accurately predicts pressure in normal and abnormal arteries, aiding cardiovascular disease assessment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Arterial wall deformation, stiffness, and luminal pressure are key cardiovascular disease predictors.
- Interrelationships between these factors are crucial for comprehensive circulatory assessment but understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a mathematical relationship between arterial wall strains, shear modulus, and localized luminal pressure change.
- To develop and validate a noninvasive method for estimating dynamic luminal pressure using ultrasound elastography.
Main Methods:
- Derived a mathematical model for luminal pressure change (∆p) based on arterial wall strains (ε) and transverse shear modulus (μT).
- Modeled the arterial wall as a transversely isotropic, piecewise linearly-elastic material.
- Employed Finite Element Simulations (FES) and in vitro fluid-driven inflation experiments.
- Utilized an ultrasound elastographic imaging framework (UEIF) to estimate ε and μT.
Main Results:
- FES demonstrated high accuracy (≤ 6.42% error) for the proposed method.
- Experimental results showed good repeatability and reproducibility.
- Estimated peak-to-peak pressure changes (∆p_pp) closely matched pressure meter measurements in phantoms and an excised aorta.
- Validated feasibility for ∆p estimation in an artery model with abnormal geometry (plaque).
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound elastographic imaging framework (UEIF) combined with the mathematical model accurately estimates localized dynamic luminal pressure changes noninvasively.
- The method effectively integrates arterial wall deformation, stiffness, and luminal pressure for enhanced cardiovascular assessment.
Objective:
Arterial wall deformation, stiffness, and luminal pressure are well-recognized predictors of cardiovascular diseases but intertwined. Establishing a relationship among these three predictors is therefore important for comprehensive assessment of the circulatory system, but very few studies focused on this.
Methods:
In this study, we first derived a mathematical description for localized luminal pressure change ( ∆p) as a function of arterial wall strains ( ε) and shear modulus ( μT) in the transverse plane; the arterial wall was modelled as a transversely isotropic and piecewise linearly-elastic material. Finite element simulations (FES) and in vitro fluid-driven inflation experiments were performed on arteries with both normal and abnormal geometries. ε and μT in the experimental study were estimated by an ultrasound elastographic imaging framework (UEIF).
Results:
FES results showed good accuracy (percent errors ≤ 6.42%) of the proposed method for all simulated artery models. Experimental results showed good repeatability and reproducibility. Estimated ∆p pp values (average peak-to-peak pressure change) compared with pressure meter measurements in two normal geometry phantoms and an excised aorta were 65.95 ± 4.29 mmHg vs. 66.45 ± 3.80 mmHg, 60.49 ± 1.82 mmHg vs. 59.92 ± 2.69, and 36.03 ± 1.90 mmHg vs. 38.8 ± 3.21 mmHg, respectively. For the artery with abnormal geometry mimicking a simple plaque shape, the feasibility of the proposed method for ∆p estimation was also validated.
Conclusion:
Results demonstrated that UEIF with the proposed mathematical model, which lumped wall deformation, stiffness and luminal pressure, could estimate the localized dynamic luminal pressure change noninvasively and accurately.
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