In vitro study on arterial lumen detection using a correlation technique in IVUS

The authors propose a new intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging method that enables them to discriminate the vessel lumen by detecting movement in regions of blood flow and an atheroma. A correlation technique was used to detect the movement, because transverse flow detection is impossible by the Doppler technique. The authors developed an experimental system and obtained radial-scanned correlation images of a vascular phantom. Experimental results showed that the blood flow could be clearly discriminated from the atheroma, whereas discrimination was difficult in conventional B-mode images