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The development and potential of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for carotid artery plaque characterization.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Allen, JD; Ham, KL; Dumont, DM; Sileshi, B; Trahey, GE; Dahl, JJ
Published in: Vascular medicine (London, England)
August 2011

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and long-term disability in the USA. Currently, surgical intervention decisions in asymptomatic patients are based upon the degree of carotid artery stenosis. While there is a clear benefit of endarterectomy for patients with severe (> 70%) stenosis, in those with high/moderate (50-69%) stenosis the evidence is less clear. Evidence suggests ischemic stroke is associated less with calcified and fibrous plaques than with those containing softer tissue, especially when accompanied by a thin fibrous cap. A reliable mechanism for the identification of individuals with atherosclerotic plaques which confer the highest risk for stroke is fundamental to the selection of patients for vascular interventions. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is a new ultrasonic-based imaging method that characterizes the mechanical properties of tissue by measuring displacement resulting from the application of acoustic radiation force. These displacements provide information about the local stiffness of tissue and can differentiate between soft and hard areas. Because arterial walls, soft tissue, atheromas, and calcifications have a wide range in their stiffness properties, they represent excellent candidates for ARFI imaging. We present information from early phantom experiments and excised human limb studies to in vivo carotid artery scans and provide evidence for the ability of ARFI to provide high-quality images which highlight mechanical differences in tissue stiffness not readily apparent in matched B-mode images. This allows ARFI to identify soft from hard plaques and differentiate characteristics associated with plaque vulnerability or stability.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Vascular medicine (London, England)

DOI

EISSN

1477-0377

ISSN

1358-863X

Publication Date

August 2011

Volume

16

Issue

4

Start / End Page

302 / 311

Related Subject Headings

  • Ultrasonics
  • Stroke
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk Assessment
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Plaque, Atherosclerotic
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Patient Selection
  • Male
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Allen, J. D., Ham, K. L., Dumont, D. M., Sileshi, B., Trahey, G. E., & Dahl, J. J. (2011). The development and potential of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for carotid artery plaque characterization. Vascular Medicine (London, England), 16(4), 302–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1358863x11400936
Allen, Jason D., Katherine L. Ham, Douglas M. Dumont, Bantayehu Sileshi, Gregg E. Trahey, and Jeremy J. Dahl. “The development and potential of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for carotid artery plaque characterization.Vascular Medicine (London, England) 16, no. 4 (August 2011): 302–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1358863x11400936.
Allen JD, Ham KL, Dumont DM, Sileshi B, Trahey GE, Dahl JJ. The development and potential of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for carotid artery plaque characterization. Vascular medicine (London, England). 2011 Aug;16(4):302–11.
Allen, Jason D., et al. “The development and potential of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for carotid artery plaque characterization.Vascular Medicine (London, England), vol. 16, no. 4, Aug. 2011, pp. 302–11. Epmc, doi:10.1177/1358863x11400936.
Allen JD, Ham KL, Dumont DM, Sileshi B, Trahey GE, Dahl JJ. The development and potential of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for carotid artery plaque characterization. Vascular medicine (London, England). 2011 Aug;16(4):302–311.
Journal cover image

Published In

Vascular medicine (London, England)

DOI

EISSN

1477-0377

ISSN

1358-863X

Publication Date

August 2011

Volume

16

Issue

4

Start / End Page

302 / 311

Related Subject Headings

  • Ultrasonics
  • Stroke
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk Assessment
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Plaque, Atherosclerotic
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Patient Selection
  • Male