Key result
Skin surface wave speeds deviate by up to ~47% from true arterial pulse wave velocity.
Why the study?
The authors sought to assess the validity of laser Doppler vibrometry as an emerging method to measure local pulse wave velocity from skin displacement generated by arterial pressure pulses.
Does skin surface displacement wave propagation speed measured by laser Doppler vibrometry accurately reflect local arterial pulse wave velocity in a computational carotid artery model?
Does skin surface displacement wave propagation speed measured by laser Doppler vibrometry accurately reflect local arterial pulse wave velocity in a computational carotid artery model?
Finite element simulations demonstrate a complex relationship between arterial pulse wave velocity and skin surface displacement speeds (deviating by -5.0% to 47.0%), indicating that advanced signal analysis is required for laser Doppler vibrometry to accurately measure local carotid stiffness.
Skin wave speeds may not reflect arterial PWV; leaves open whether laser Doppler vibrometry requires advanced analysis for carotid stiffness.
(1) Background: We aimed to assess the validity of laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) as an emerging method to measure the local pulse wave velocity (PWV) from skin displacement generated by the pressure pulse inside an underlying artery. (2) Methods: A finite element model representing a simplified common carotid artery embedded within a soft tissue mimicking material was used to reproduce how tissue motions due to a wave propagation along the artery radiates to the skin surface. A parametric study was set up, varying: (i) the pressure conditions inside the artery (shock and traveling pressure impulse), (ii) the arterial depth and (iii) the geometry in a patient-specific artery model. (3) Results: under all conditions, the arterial pulse induced primary and secondary waves at the skin surface; of which the propagation speed deviated from the imposed PWV (deviations between −5.0% to 47.0% for the primary wave front). (4) Conclusions: the propagation of a short pressure impulse induced complex skin displacement patterns revealing a complicated link between PWV and measured propagation speeds at the skin surface. Wave propagation at the skin level may convey information about arterial PWV, however, advanced signal analysis techniques will be necessary to extract local PWV values.
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Tommasin et al. (2019) studied Carotid artery stiffness and within-tissue pulse wave propagation. Simulated arterial pressure impulses (shock impulse and traveling impulse at 4, 7, and 10 m/s) across varying arterial depths (5, 10, and 15 mm) for laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) assessment vs. Imposed/theoretical arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) and analytical wave propagation solutions was evaluated on Deviation of measured skin surface primary wave front propagation speed from imposed arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) (Deviation -5.0% to 47.0%). Simulated arterial pressure pulses induced primary and secondary skin surface waves whose propagation speeds deviated by -5.0% to 47.0% from the imposed arterial pulse wave velocity.
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