Ultrasonic measurement of thickness of carotid arterial wall using its natural longitudinal displacement

The thickness of the carotid arterial wall obtained from B-mode imaging using ultrasonic diagnostic devices is widely used for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. However, the measurement interval in the lateral direction of the B-mode image depended on the beam interval (>100 mu m). Therefore, the B-mode image is discrete in the lateral direction and cannot reflect changes in local and minute thicknesses. A method for measuring the roughness of the luminal surface of the wall was proposed using the displacement of the carotid arterial wall in the lateral direction during one heartbeat. In this method, the lateral measurement interval is much shorter than the beam interval, enabling a smooth measurement of the luminal surface. By simultaneously applying the method to the lumen-intima and medial-adventitia boundaries of the wall, we propose a novel method to measure the local and minute thicknesses of the carotid arterial wall.

Automated summary

The thickness of the carotid arterial wall obtained from B-mode imaging using ultrasonic diagnostic devices is widely used for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. However, the measurement interval in the lateral direction of the B-mode image is limited by the beam interval, leading to a discrete image that cannot reflect local and minute thickness changes. A novel method is proposed to measure the roughness of the luminal surface by measuring the displacement of the carotid arterial wall in the lateral direction during one heartbeat, enabling a smoother measurement of the luminal surface and accurate assessment of local and minute thicknesses.