Noninvasive Dynamic Measurements of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Stiffness

Aims Measurement of change in carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been proposed as an alternative for the occurrence of cardiovascular events in the assessment of therapeutic interventions. This study attempted to use the current technique of the clinical examination to improve diagnosis not only by the evolving technology but also by the mathematical progressing.

Methods and results We assume the carotid arterial wall is the elastic material so we can use the Hooke's law to analyze it. The experiment is based on the use of ultrasound B-mode imaging technique and the off-line image analysis. Elastic tube phantom experiments demonstrated the validity of the technique, providing the size of the tube within 3% of the actual values. The system was also tested in the common carotid arteries of 10 healthy males (age 23.6 y). According to the experimental result, it shows that our index is less variant than Peterson’s elastic modulus. The results of and are and respectively.

Conclusion The new index shows the ability to reveal more physiological information and is more adaptable to be a risk factor of the cardiovascular events, but it needs more evidence to verify the observation.