Abstract
We have previously developed algorithms that use B-mode cineloops for simultaneous measurements of arterial diameter change and longitudinal movement of the arterial wall. In this study the lumen diameter algorithm was extended to also measure arterial intima-media thickness of the far wall. To optimize the algorithm the influence of the lateral width of the region-of-interest (1 pixel, 0.1 mm, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2.5 mm and 5 mm) was evaluated. The algorithm estimated intima-media thickness at diastole automatically by measuring the distance between the two positions where the laterally averaged B-mode intensity envelope crosses a threshold value relative to the maximum amplitudes of the intimal and adventitial echoes, respectively. The sub-pixel resolution is achieved by solving the equation of a straight line between the two samples on either side of the threshold value. The measurements were performed on 20 healthy normotensive volunteers (age 25–57 years) on the common carotid artery 2–3 cm proximal to the bifurcation. For the 2.5-mm width, which was considered the best, the intima-media thickness was mean 646 μm (SD 66) for men and 613 μm (SD 68) for women. The systematic difference was −5 μm and the random difference was 31 μm. The CV was 4.9%. The study indicates that the reproducibility is sufficient for in vivo studies when the width of the region-of-interest is 1.0 mm or wider.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Mrs. Ann-Kristin Jönsson for skilful technical assistance. This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Skåne County Council’s Research and Development Foundation, the Crafoord Foundation, the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund, the Wallenberg Foundation and Funds at Malmö University Hospital, Faculty of Engineering, LTH at Lund University and Medical Faculty at Lund University.
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Cinthio, M., Ahlgren, Å.R., Jansson, T., Nilsson, T., Lindström, K., Persson, H.W. (2012). An Automatic Method for Measurements of Arterial Intima-Media Thickness Using Ultrasonic B-Mode Data. In: Nowicki, A., Litniewski, J., Kujawska, T. (eds) Acoustical Imaging. Acoustical Imaging, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2619-2_12
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