PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to introduce and implement a noninvasive method to derive the carotid artery pressure waveform directly by processing diagnostic sonograms of the carotid artery. METHODS: Ultrasound image sequences of 20 healthy male subjects (age, 36±9 years) were recorded during three cardiac cycles. The internal diameter and blood velocity waveforms were extracted from consecutive sonograms over the cardiac cycles by using custom analysis programs written in MATLAB. Finally, the application of a mathematical equation resulted in time changes of the arterial pressure. The resulting pressures were calibrated using the mean and the diastolic pressure of the radial artery. RESULTS: A good correlation was found between the mean carotid blood pressure obtained from the ultrasound image processing and the mean radial blood pressure obtained using a standard digital sphygmomanometer (R=0.91). The mean absolute difference between the carotid calibrated pulse pressures and those measured clinically was −1.333±6.548 mm Hg. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that consecutive sonograms of the carotid artery can be used for estimating a blood pressure waveform. We believe that our results promote a noninvasive technique for clinical applications that overcomes the reproducibility problems of common carotid artery tonometry with technical and anatomical causes.
Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure* ; Calibration ; Carotid Arteries* ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Manometry ; Methods* ; Radial Artery ; Sphygmomanometers ; Ultrasonography*

Purpose: This study investigated the accuracy of models reconstructed from ultrasound image processing by comparing the radial displacement waveforms of a subject-specific artery model and evaluated stress changes in the proximal shoulder, throat, and distal shoulder of the plaques depending on the degree of carotid artery stenosis. Methods: Three groups of subjects (healthy and with less than 50% or more carotid stenosis) were evaluated with ultrasonography. Two-dimensional transverse imaging of the common carotid artery was performed to reconstruct the geometry. A longitudinal view of the same region was recorded to extract the Kelvin viscoelastic model parameters. The pulse pressure waveform and the effective pressure of perivascular tissue were loaded onto the internal and external walls of the model. Effective, circumferential, and principal stresses applied to the plaque throat, proximal shoulder, and distal shoulder in the transverse planes were extracted. Results: The radial displacement waveforms of the model were closely correlated with those of image processing in all three groups. The mean of the effective, circumferential, and principal stresses of the healthy arteries were 15.01±4.93, 12.97±5.07, and 12.39±2.86 kPa, respectively. As stenosis increased from mild to significant, the mean values of the effective, circumferential, and first principal stresses increased significantly (97%, 74%, and 103% at the plaque throat, respectively) (P<0.05). The minimum effective stress was at the lipid pool. The effective stress in calcified areas was higher than in other parts of the artery wall. Conclusion This model can discriminate differences in stresses applied to mildly and severely stenotic plaques.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess vascular changes and blood flow abnormalities in the common carotid arteries of patients with head and neck cancers after external radiotherapy, using color Doppler ultrasonography. METHODS: We studied 24 patients treated with external radiotherapy for various head and neck cancers. In order to study the acute effects of irradiation on common carotid blood flow and arterial diameter changes, color Doppler ultrasonography parameters such as peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, mean velocity, systolic-to-diastolic velocity (S/D) ratio, pulsatility index (PI), resistive index (RI), and instantaneous diameter changes were evaluated before and after external radiotherapy. Additionally, the blood volume flow (VF) values in the peak systolic and end diastolic phases, as well as mean velocity, were evaluated throughout three cardiac cycles using B-mode ultrasonic image processing. RESULTS: The findings showed significant changes in the S/D ratio, PI, and RI of the common carotid arteries before and after external radiotherapy (P < 0.05). Moreover, a significant decrease in artery diameter and blood VF was observed after radiotherapy relative to the pretreatment values. A significant correlation was found between the blood VF values estimated using ultrasonic measurements and mathematical methods throughout three cardiac cycles. CONCLUSION: The hemodynamic parameters of the common carotid arteries changed during radiotherapy. These arterial changes may lead to late adverse effects of radiotherapy, such as ischemic strokes and ischemic attacks.
Arteries ; Blood Volume ; Carotid Artery, Common* ; Head ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Neck ; Radiotherapy ; Stroke ; Ultrasonics ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color*

Purpose: Investigations of the hemodynamic changes of the venous system in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have shown contradictory results. Herein, the biomechanical parameters of the internal jugular vein (IJV) and common carotid artery (CCA) of MS patients were extracted and compared to healthy individuals. Methods: B-mode and Doppler sequential ultrasound images of 64 IJVs and CCAs of women including 22 healthy individuals, 22 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, and 20 primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients were recorded and processed. The biomechanical parameters of the IJV and the CCA walls during three cardiac cycles were calculated. Results: The IJV maximum and minimum pressures were higher in the MS patients than in the healthy subjects, by 31% and 19% in RRMS patients and 39% and 24% in PPMS patients. The venous wall thicknesses in RRMS and PPMS patients were 51% and 60% higher than in healthy subjects, respectively. IJV distensibility in RRMS and PPMS patients was 70% and 75% lower, and compliance was 40% and 59% lower than in healthy subjects. The maximum intima-media thicknesses of the CCAs were 38% and 24%, and the minimum intima-media thicknesses were 27% and 23% higher in RRMS and PPMS patients than in healthy individuals, respectively. The shear modulus of CCA walls in RRMS and PPMS patients was 17% and 31%, and the radial elastic moduli were 47% and 9% higher than in healthy individuals. Conclusion Some physical and biomechanical parameters of the CCA and IJV showed significant differences between MS patients and healthy individuals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of short-term atherosclerosis in the common carotid arteries following radiotherapy. Methods: The mean radiation dose to the arteries was 49.30±15.83 Gy. A computational ultrasound method was introduced to investigate the elastic modulus. Ultrasonography was performed 2-3 cm inferior to the bifurcation region before and after radiotherapy, and sequential images were extracted from a video of each artery. Instantaneous movement of the arterial wall in the radial and longitudinal directions was extracted by implementing the maximum gradient and block matching algorithms, respectively. Results: There was a significant change in systolic blood pressure after radiotherapy (P=0.008). Irradiated arteries had significantly smaller systolic and end-diastolic diameters than non-irradiated arteries (P<0.001). The shear modulus was significantly different between irradiated and non-irradiated arteries (3.10±2.03 kPa vs. 1.38±0.98 kPa, P<0.001). The shear and Young moduli of radiation-induced arteries were 2.25±1.50 and 1.57±0.59 times higher than those of the pre-irradiation arteries. Conclusion The arterial shear modulus can be considered as a new biomarker of radiationinduced atherosclerosis in the common carotid artery.