Research on model-based 2D strain algorithm for non-invasive carotid plaque characterization

Carotid artery plaques are believed to be one of the major culprits of ischemic stroke. Instrumentation that measures not only morphology but also an elasticity map of carotid plaques would be of great value for clinicians to judge their vulnerability to rupture and potential risk. As a first step for an ultimate goal of estimating an elasticity map of carotid artery plaques, this research presents a method of measuring and computing the strain of plaques with commercial ultrasound. To estimate the displacement field of the carotid plaques this paper implemented a model-based normalized correlation coefficient (NCC) motion-tracking method leveraging prior knowledge on the geometry and dynamics of the blood vessel. Experiments on phantoms show promising results that suggest great potential of applying this method as a tool for the evaluation of cardiovascular risk.