A Study on Ultrasound Accurate Measurement of Luminal Surface Roughness of Human Carotid Artery for Early Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26282140
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Medical systems
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kanai Hiroshi 東北大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (10185895)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 長谷川 英之 富山大学, 大学院理工学研究部(工学), 教授 (00344698) ; 高瀬 圭 東北大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (60361094) ; 瀧 宏文 東北大学, 医工学研究科, 講師 (40467460)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 動脈硬化症 / 血管表面の粗さ / 超音波計測 / 循環器系疾患 / 位相情報 / 波長オーダ / 定量計測 / 非侵襲的診断

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The diagnosis of atherosclerosis in the early stage is crucial for preventing degeneration of arteries. In the early stage of atherosclerosis, the arterial wall becomes rough due to endothelial cell proliferation and degeneration of the internal elastic layer. For the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis, our group has proposed a method to estimate the micron-order luminal surface roughness of the carotid artery. In the present study, a technique was developed that suppresses error in estimating surface roughness caused by the movement of a carotid artery during one cardiac cycle. The average surface roughness of the carotid artery estimated by the proposed method was 2.33 μm in three young subjects (from 20 to 30 years old) and 3.36 μm in three older subjects (from 50 to 65 years old). These results show the high potential of the proposed method for accurate estimation of the minute surface roughness of the carotid artery.

Free Research Field

医用超音波工学