{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: In Vivo Blood Velocity Vector Imaging Using Adaptive Velocity Compounding in the Carotid Artery Bifurcation.
{Author}: Saris AECM;Hansen HHG;Fekkes S;Menssen J;Nillesen MM;de Korte CL;
{Journal}: Ultrasound Med Biol
{Volume}: 45
{Issue}: 7
{Year}: 07 2019
{Factor}: 3.694
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2019.03.008
{Abstract}: Visualization and quantification of blood flow are considered important for early detection of atherosclerosis and patient-specific diagnosis and intervention. As conventional Doppler imaging is limited to 1-D velocity estimates, 2-D and 3-D techniques are being developed. We introduce an adaptive velocity compounding technique that estimates the 2-D velocity vector field using predominantly axial displacements estimated by speckle tracking from dual-angle plane wave acquisitions. Straight-vessel experiments with a 7.8-MHz linear array transducer connected to a Verasonics Vantage ultrasound system revealed that the technique performed with a maximum velocity magnitude bias and angle bias of -3.7% (2.8% standard deviation) and -0.16° (0.41° standard deviation), respectively. In vivo, complex flow patterns were visualized in two healthy and three diseased carotid arteries and quantified using a vector complexity measure that increased with increasing wall irregularity. This measure could potentially be a relevant clinical parameter which might aid in early detection of atherosclerosis.