Quantitative characterization of carotid atheromatous plaques using ultrasonic rf A-scan data

Carotid atheromatous plaques are widely accepted as forming a source of emboli which may cause a transient or permanent neurological deficit. The aim of this investigation is to carry out quantitative characterization of plaque, blood and vessel walls using rf A-scan data. The ultrasonic appearances of plaque and vessel walls are visually so similar that tissue identification by clinical staff is prone to error. By computing some statistics from the A-scan waveform, tissue characterization is enhanced based on the numerical parameters.