Acoustical imaging and processing of blood vessel and the related materials using ultrasound Doppler effect.

ABSTRACT

In the present paper a method is proposed to measure the degree of the degradation of the elasticity in natural blood vessel and the related materials by using ultrasound Doppler effect. It was found that the deformation rate and its acceleration in the radial direction of the blood vessel can be detected by acoustical imaging and processing using this method. These results were proven to correspond to the degree of the degradation of the elasticity, that is, the degree of viscoelasticity in the blood vessel from the wave versus time pattern detected and its simple analysis. This method was applied to predicting the arteriosclerosis of blood vessels of humans by acoustical imaging and processing uninvadedly, as the characteristics of viscoelasticity in blood vessels.