Spatiotemporal frequency domain analysis for blood velocity measurement during embolization procedures

Currently, determining procedural endpoints and treatment efficacy of vascular interventions is largely qualitative and relies on subjective visual assessment of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images leading to large interobserver variabilities and poor reproducibility. Quantitative metrics such as the residual blood velocity in embolized vessel branches could help establish objective and reproducible endpoints. Recently, velocity quantification techniques based on a contrast enhanced X-ray sequence such as qDSA and 4D DSA have been proposed. These techniques must be robust, and, to avoid radiation dose concerns, they should be compatible with low dose per frame image acquisition.

To develop and evaluate a technique for robust blood velocity quantification from low dose contrast enhanced X-ray image sequences that leverages the oscillating signal created by pulsatile blood flow.

The proposed spatiotemporal frequency domain (STF) approach quantifies velocities from time attenuation maps (TAMs) representing the oscillating signal over time for all points along a vessel centerline. Due to the time it takes a contrast bolus to travel along the vessel centerline, the resulting TAM resembles a sheared sine wave. The shear angle is related to the velocity and can be determined in the spatiotemporal frequency domain after applying the 2D Fourier transform to the TAM. The approach was evaluated in a straight tube phantom using three different radiation dose levels and compared to ultrasound transit-time-based measurements. The STF velocity results were also compared to previously published approaches for the measurement of blood velocity from contrast enhanced X-ray sequences including shifted least squared (SLS) and phase shift (PHS). Additionally, an in vivo porcine study (n = 8) was performed where increasing amounts of embolic particles were injected into a hepatic or splenic artery with intermittent velocity measurements after each injection to monitor the resulting reduction in velocity.

At the lowest evaluated dose level (average air kerma rate 1.3 mGy/s at the interventional reference point), the Pearson correlation between ultrasound and STF velocity measurements was $$ . This was significantly higher ( $$ ) than corresponding correlation results between ultrasound and the previously published SLS and PHS approaches ( $$ and $$ , respectively). In the in vivo study, a reduction in velocity was observed in $$ of cases after injection of 1 mL, $$ after 3 mL, and $$ after 4 mL of embolic particles.

The results show good agreement of the spatiotemporal frequency domain approach with ultrasound even in low dose per frame image sequences. Additionally, the in vivo study demonstrates the ability to monitor the physiological changes due to embolization. This could provide quantitative metrics during vascular procedures to establish objective and reproducible endpoints.