Evaluating arterial and plaque elasticity with shear wave elastography in an ex vivo porcine model

Our objective was to use shear wave elastography (SWE) to characterize the mechanical properties of an arterial wall with a simulated calcified plaque in an ex vivo setup. A small porcine aorta was used as a model for a human carotid artery and attached to a fixture while pressurized with a water column. The stiffness of the arterial wall and a simulated plaque were estimated using SWE. The mean arterial wall and plaque shear modulus varied from 42 ± 0 kPa to 100 ± 1 kPa and 81 ± 2 kPa to 174 ± 2 kPa respectively over a pressure range of 20–120 mmHg. The results show the ability of SWE to characterize the mechanical properties of an arterial wall with a simulated plaque and take steps toward an in vivo implementation for quantitative plaque assessment.