Non-invasive ultrasonic measurement of the relative volume change of the arterial wall - first in vivo trial

The objective of this study was to show a method that combine non-invasive measurements of the relative diameter change, the radial and the longitudinal strain of the intima-media complex of arterial walls, respectively, to obtain total change in arterial wall volume for a segment of the common carotid artery. The method was evaluated in a limited trial in vivo, comprising five normotensive subjects. Compared to the volume at end-diastole, the average maximum increase in arterial wall volume during each cardiac cycle was 3.2 % (SD 1.8). The average maximum decrease of the arterial wall volume was -5.7 % (SD 3.5). This provides a new way of examining and quantifying the elastic properties of arterial walls.