Local measurement of the pulse wave velocity using Doppler ultrasound

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in many developed countries. Arteries of people suffering from this disease become stiff and blocked by fatty deposits. In recent years, non-invasive imaging techniques have been playing an increasingly important role in detecting the development of cardiovascular disease. Several methods focus on the measurement of pulse wave velocity, the velocity at which the pressure wave propagates, because it is directly related to arterial stiffness. The objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of measuring local pulse wave velocity from the blood flow waveforms acquired by Doppler ultrasound. The proposed method includes the following steps: first acquire flow waveforms by Doppler ultrasound at two locations within the same artery, next detect the delay or difference in arrival time of the flow wave at the two arterial locations, and then calculate the PWV by dividing the length of the arterial segment being imaged by the calculated time delay. Although at the conclusion of this study reliable pulse wave velocity detection is not achieved, the study sheds light on many important issues surrounding this potential application. The project explores how sources of variations such as radial positioning of the probe and noise level affect the accuracy of the delay estimate.