Contrast analysis in ultrafast ultrasound blood flow imaging of jugular vein

• Published in: Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001) Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 131 - 141
• Main Authors: Omura, Masaaki, Yagi, Kunimasa, Nagaoka, Ryo, Hasegawa, Hideyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.04.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Blood flow; Blood Flow Velocity - physiology; Clutter; Diabetes; Diabetics; Erythrocyte Aggregation; Erythrocytes; Flow velocity; Hematocrit; Hemodynamics; Humans; Image contrast; Image filters; Imaging; Jugular Veins - diagnostic imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article–Physics & Engineering; Original –Physics & Engineering; Phantoms, Imaging; Plane waves; Plasma; Radiology; Shear rate; Singular value decomposition; Steady flow; Swine; Type 2 diabetes; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography - methods; Ultrasound; Veins; Veins & arteries; Velocity gradient; Viscoelasticity; Viscosity; Jugular vein; Erythrocyte deformation; Ultrafast ultrasound imaging; Contrast map; Clutter filter
• ISSN: 1346-4523; 1613-2254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10396-023-01289-9

Purpose The contrasts of flowing blood in in vitro experiments using porcine blood and in vivo measurements of human jugular veins were analyzed to demonstrate that the hemorheological property was dependent on the shear rate. Methods Blood samples (45% hematocrit) suspended in saline or plasma were compared with examine the difference in viscoelasticity. Ultrafast plane-wave imaging at an ultrasonic center frequency of 7.5 MHz was performed on different steady flows in a graphite-agar phantom. Also, in vivo measurement was performed in young, healthy subjects and patients with diabetes. A spatiotemporal matrix of beamformed radio-frequency data was used for the singular value decomposition (SVD) clutter filter. The clutter-filtered B-mode image was calculated as the amplitude envelope normalized at the first frame in the diastolic phase to evaluate contrast. The shear rate was estimated as the velocity gradient perpendicular to the lateral axis. Results Although nonaggregated erythrocytes at a high shear rate exhibited a low echogenicity, the echogenicity in the plasma sample overall increased due to erythrocyte aggregation at a low shear rate. In addition, the frequency of detection of specular components, defined as components beyond twice the standard deviation of a contrast map obtained from a clutter-filtered B-mode image, increased in the porcine blood at a high shear rate and the venous blood in healthy subjects versus patients with diabetes. Conclusion The possibility of characterizing hemorheological properties dependent on the shear rate and diabetes condition was indicated using ultrafast plane-wave imaging with an SVD-based clutter filter.