High Frame Rate Ultrasonic Imaging of

Blood flow measurement is an important practical routine in diagnosis of atherosclerosis. In addition, mechanical properties of arterial walls affected by atherosclerosis are significantly different from those of normal arteries, and various studies have been conducted to measure the artery-wall elasticity (strain). It would be useful if the strain and blood flow could be assessed simultaneously because plaque vulnerability is closely related to its mechanical property and the shear stress from blood flow. In this study, high frame rate (3500 Hz) acquisitions of ultrasonic echoes required for simultaneous measurement of blood flow and artery-wall strain were achieved by parallel beam forming. In in vivo measurement of a carotid artery, power of echoes from blood particles was successfully imaged together with the artery-wall strain. This method would be useful for diagnosis of atherosclerosis, such like plaque vulnerability