Key result
3D vascular ultrasound using a new electronic-sweep matrix transducer demonstrated strong agreement with the established mechanical-sweep transducer for measuring atherosclerotic plaque volume (ICC 0.997).
Why the study?
Carotid and femoral plaque burden is a recognized CVD risk biomarker, and a new electronic-sweep 3D-matrix transducer method required validation for measuring plaque volume in early and intermediate-advanced carotid and femoral plaques.
Does a new 3D-matrix electronic-sweep transducer accurately measure atherosclerotic plaque volume compared to histology and mechanical-sweep 3D transducers in carotid and femoral arteries?
Observational (n=20)
Single-blind
No
Does a new 3D-matrix electronic-sweep transducer accurately measure atherosclerotic plaque volume compared to histology and mechanical-sweep 3D transducers in carotid and femoral arteries?
A new 3D-matrix electronic-sweep ultrasound transducer provides accurate and faster quantification of carotid and femoral atherosclerotic plaque volumes compared to traditional methods.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May facilitate faster plaque quantification in practice; leaves open prospective validation vs histology and outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Carotid and femoral plaque burden is a recognized biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk. A new electronic-sweep 3-dimensional (3D)-matrix transducer method can improve the functionality and image quality of vascular ultrasound atherosclerosis imaging. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate this method for plaque volume measurement in early and intermediate-advanced plaques in the carotid and femoral territories. METHODS: Plaque volumes were measured ex vivo in pig carotid and femoral artery specimens by 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound (3DVUS) using a 3D-matrix (electronic-sweep) transducer and its associated 3D plaque quantification software, and were compared with gold-standard histology. To test the clinical feasibility and accuracy of the 3D-matrix transducer, an experiment was conducted in intermediate-high risk individuals with carotid and femoral atherosclerosis. The results were compared with those obtained using the previously validated mechanical-sweep 3D transducer and established 2-dimensional (2D)-based plaque quantification software. RESULTS: In the ex vivo study, the authors assessed 19 atherosclerotic plaques (plaque volume, 0.76 µL-56.30 μL), finding strong agreement between measurements with the 3D-matrix transducer and the histological gold-standard (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.992; [95% CI: 0.978-0.997]). In the clinical analysis of 20 patients (mean age 74.6 ± 4.45 years; 40% men), the authors found 64 (36 carotid and 28 femoral) of 80 scanned territories with atherosclerosis (measured atherosclerotic volume, 10 μL-859 μL). There was strong agreement between measurements made from electronic-sweep and mechanical-sweep 3DVUS transducers (ICC: 0.997 [95% CI: 0.995-0.998]). Agreement was also high between plaque volumes estimated by the 2D and 3D plaque quantification software applications (ICC: 0.999 [95% CI: 0.998-0.999]). Analysis time was significantly shorter with the 3D plaque quantification software than with the 2D multislice approach with a mean time reduction of 46%. CONCLUSIONS: 3DVUS using new matrix transducer technology, together with improved 3D plaque quantification software, simplifies the accurate volume measurement of early (small) and intermediate-advanced plaques located in carotid and femoral arteries.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
López‐Melgar et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Atherosclerosis (n=20). Electronic-sweep 3D-matrix transducer (XL14-3) vs. Mechanical-sweep 3D transducer (VL13-5) was evaluated on Agreement in plaque volume measurement between electronic-sweep and mechanical-sweep 3DVUS transducers (ICC 0.997, 95% CI 0.995-0.998, p=<0.001). 3D vascular ultrasound using a new electronic-sweep matrix transducer demonstrated strong agreement with the established mechanical-sweep transducer for measuring atherosclerotic plaque volume (ICC 0.997).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: