Velocity vector imaging of carotid artery soft plaque wall motion:a pilot study / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the synchronization of carotid artery wall motion with atheroscleroticsoft eccentric plaque using velocity vector imaging(ⅤⅥ). Methods Seventy-two patients with carotid artery atherosclerotic soft eccentric plaque were enrolled in this study. Their carotid arteries were examined using Acuson Sequoia 512 instrument respectively.Combined with ECG,two dimensional imaging of short axis view of carotid artery atherosclerotic soft eccentric plaque were recorded and analyzed on-line using ⅤⅥ software. The carotid artery wall of short axis was automatically divided into 6 segments. Time to peak index (TTPI)was calculated respectively. Results The TTPI was significantly higher than that of control group (P＜0.001). A cut-off value＜0.595 of TTPI for assessing the synchronization of carotid artery wall motion had a sensitivity of 93.9%,a specificity of 91.7%,respectively. Conclusions ⅤⅥ provides a new tool to assess the synchronization of arterial wall motion.