Cross-correlation analysis of pulse wave propagation in arteries: < i > in vitro < /i > validation and < i > in vivo < /i > feasibility.

Cross-correlation analysis of pulse wave propagation in arteries: <i>in vitro</i> validation and <i>in vivo</i> feasibility. Phys Med Biol. 2018 Apr 16;: Authors: Nauleau P, Apostolakis IZ, McGarry M, Konofagou EE Abstract The stiffness of the arteries is known to be an indicator of the progression of various cardiovascular diseases. Clinically, the pulse wave velocity (PWV) is used as a surrogate for the arterial stiffness. Pulse Wave Imaging (PWI) is a non-invasive, ultrasound-based imaging technique capable of mapping the motion of the vessel walls allowing local assessment of the arterial properties. Conventionally, a distinctive feature of the displacement wave (e.g. the 50% upstroke) is tracked across the map to estimate the PWV. However, the presence of reflections, such as those generated at the carotid bifurcation, can bias the PWV estimation. In this paper, we propose a two-step cross-correlation based methods to characterize arteries using the information available in the PWI spatio-temporal map. First, the area under the cross-correlation curve is proposed as an index to locate regions of different properties. Second, a local peak of the cross-correlation function is tracked to obtain a less biased estimate of PWV. Three series of experiments were conducted in phantoms to evaluate the capabilities of the proposed method and compare it against the conventional method. In the ideal case of a homogene...
Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology - Category: Physics Authors: Tags: Phys Med Biol Source Type: research