However, strain imaging does not provide information on the exact size and position of the lipid-rich core, because strain is an indirect List 1|]# measure of the elastic properties of the tissue. On the other hand, visualization of the elastic moduli inside the vessel wall would provide such information, because the elastic modulus is an intrinsic tissue property. Knowledge of the lipid-core size is very useful for instance for pharmaceutical trials in which the reduction of Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries lipid content by administration Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries of medication is aimed for.Elastic modulus reconstructions have been performed for coronary arteries based on ultrasound strain information that was derived from raw radiofrequency (RF) data obtained intravascularly using a catheter-mounted ultrasound device [10�C16].

However, in the last couple of years techniques for the noninvasive assessment of strains in the carotid artery wall and plaque have also been developed [17�C26]. These noninvasive studies illustrate Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries that accurate strain estimates can be obtained, despite the fact that ultrasound Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries transmit frequencies are a factor of two to four lower than those applied in IVUS imaging. Of course the aim is no longer at strain estimation in the small and deeply located coronary arteries, but in the superficial and larger carotid artery. For a noninvasive assessment of carotid artery strains, the ultrasound data are usually acquired with a linear array transducer.

In most studies the transducer Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries is placed parallel to the direction of the vessel axis, because it allows a direct estimation of the radial strain in the vessel wall, since the ultrasound Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries beam direction corresponds to Brefeldin_A the direction of the radial strain.

Several publications on elastic modulus reconstruction Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries for the carotid artery in this longitudinal imaging plane can be found [20,27]. At this moment no study exists in which modulus reconstructions are performed for entire transverse cross sections of carotid arteries given displacement estimates derived from ultrasound RF data acquired with a linear array transducer. In this study we do present relative elastic modulus reconstructions for vessel mimicking phantoms in that imaging plane.

In order find more to perform Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries reconstructions for this imaging plane, accurate estimates GSK-3 are required of both the displacements in the direction of the ultrasound beam (axial) and the displacements in the direction perpendicular to the ultrasound beam (lateral).

From conventional single-angle acquisitions www.selleckchem.com/products/MDV3100.html it is usually possible to obtain accurate estimates in the axial direction only. Displacements in the lateral direction are less accurate, due to the lack of phase information and the lower resolution in that direction. The lateral displacement estimates can be improved by compounding of displacement or strain estimates obtained at multiple acquisition angles [17,28�C32].