New improved method for 2D arterial wall movement measurements

We have recently reported that the inner layers of the arteries, the intima-media complex, of common carotid artery, move as much in the longitudinal direction as in the radial direction, during the cardiac cycle. In order to study this phenomenon we have developed a high-resolution ultrasonic method that can simultaneously record both the longitudinal and the radial movements of the arterial wall non-invasively in vivo. However, in young individuals with large movements and with thin intima-media complex it happens sometimes that the echoes from the adventitia region interfere. To be able to minimise the size of the region-of-interest in the radial direction, we suggest that the radial movement of the arterial vessel is first measured and that the radial movement is used as a priori information when the longitudinal movement is measured. The mean difference between the two methods is 8 and 2 standard deviation is 24 μm