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A noninvasive method to estimate wall shear rate using ultrasound
P J Brands1, A P Hoeks, L Hofstra
1Department of Biophysics, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, University of Limburg, The Netherlands.
Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
|January 1, 1995
Summary
This study presents a noninvasive ultrasound method to measure wall shear rate in arteries. The technique shows high reproducibility, crucial for understanding vascular disease development.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular physiology
- Biomedical engineering
- Medical imaging
Background:
- Wall shear stress and blood pressure are key mechanical forces on blood vessels.
- Accurate measurement of wall shear stress is vital for studying vascular disease.
- In vitro studies show endothelial cells change in response to shear stress, but in vivo data is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a noninvasive ultrasound-based method for measuring time-dependent wall shear rate in arteries.
- To assess the reproducibility of this novel method for wall shear rate estimation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized pulsed ultrasound to evaluate velocity profiles in main arteries.
- Employed off-line signal processing in the radio-frequency (RF) domain, including a mean frequency estimator and adaptive vessel wall filter.
- Conducted a pilot study on 30 measurements in the carotid artery of five healthy volunteers.
Main Results:
- The developed method accurately estimates time-dependent wall shear rate noninvasively.
- The pilot study demonstrated high reproducibility for wall shear rate estimation (coefficient of variation ~5%).
- This is comparable to the reproducibility of blood flow velocity measurements (~9%).
Conclusions:
- The ultrasound-based method provides a reliable and reproducible means to measure in vivo wall shear rate.
- This technique can advance the understanding of mechanical forces in vascular health and disease.
- Facilitates in vivo investigation into the role of wall shear stress in arterial wall function.