Noninvasive strain imaging in pulsating vessels using beam steered ultrasound acquisitions

Strain in the arterial wall can be estimated by cross-correlation of radiofrequency ultrasound data recorded at various blood pressure levels. Intravascular studies revealed a high correlation between high radial strain regions and plaque vulnerability in coronary arteries. A noninvasive variant of the technique is desired, since it will enable early screening for rupture prone plaques, also in asymptomatic populations. Recently, we have shown that it is possible to obtain more precise radial (and circumferential) strain estimates by combining data from multiple beam steered ultrasound acquisitions in phantoms. However, the multi-angle method was tested using quasi-static data only, thus no motion artifacts were present. This study investigates the performance of the multi-angle method for pulsating vessels. Results are presented for a periodically pulsating vessel mimicking phantom and in vivo recordings of a healthy carotid artery. It is shown that the multi-angle technique also outperforms conventional single angle strain imaging for pulsating vessels.