A robust and fast method for arterial lumen diameter and intima-media thickness measurements

Lumen diameter, distension and intima-media thickness (IMT) in human arteries are important parameters in cardiovascular research. The signal reflected from the arterial wall strongly depends on the ultrasound scanner and settings. The signal also varies with age and health of the subject. A general method insensitive with respect to the subject and the scanner would be of great help. We have developed a novel and robust method for ARTerIal Characterization (ARTIC), suitable for real-time in vivo measurements of diameter, distension and IMT using B-Mode images. The aim of this study was to evaluate ARTIC on different subjects and scanners. ARTIC was evaluated in vivo in different groups of subjects using two scanners, HDI5000 (Philips Medical Systems, Bothell, WA, USA) and ULA-OP (University of Florence, Italy). First, a comparison was made against a previous method validated on phantoms. Then measurements of young (healthy) and old (healthy and unhealthy) subjects were evaluated for both scanners. Finally, a comparison between scanners was made. The evaluation of different subjects shows a coefficient of variation (CV) ranging from 1.4–2.0% for diameter, 4.3–8.8% for distension and 3.6–6.6% for IMT.