Key result
Novel ultrasound method estimates radial viscoelasticity with ~2% elasticity error, detecting rapid post-ischemic softening.
Why the study?
The evaluation of vascular endothelial function immediately after avascularization is difficult to estimate by conventional FMD measurement, motivating a method to accurately assess radial artery wall viscoelasticity.
A novel ultrasound-based method using a standard 7.5 MHz probe can detect early transient changes in arterial wall viscoelasticity during flow-mediated dilation, potentially improving the assessment of endothelial function.
Should not yet change practice; leaves open validation of ultrasound viscoelasticity imaging in larger cohorts.
In our previous study, the viscoelasticity of the radial artery wall was estimated to diagnose endothelial dysfunction using a high-frequency (22 MHz) ultrasound device. In the present study, we employed a commercial ultrasound device (7.5 MHz) and estimated the viscoelasticity using arterial pressure and diameter, both of which were measured at the same position. In a phantom experiment, the proposed method successfully estimated the elasticity and viscosity of the phantom with errors of 1.8 and 30.3%, respectively. In an in vivo measurement, the transient change in the viscoelasticity was measured for three healthy subjects during flow-mediated dilation (FMD). The proposed method revealed the softening of the arterial wall originating from the FMD reaction within 100 s after avascularization. These results indicate the high performance of the proposed method in evaluating vascular endothelial function just after avascularization, where the function is difficult to be estimated by a conventional FMD measurement.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Sakai et al. (2016) studied Healthy (n=3). Viscoelasticity estimation using 7.5 MHz ultrasound was evaluated on Elasticity and viscosity estimation errors (phantom) and transient change in viscoelasticity (in vivo). A proposed ultrasound method estimated phantom elasticity and viscosity with errors of 1.8% and 30.3%, and detected arterial wall softening within 100 s of avascularization in 3 healthy subjects.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: