Feasibility of elastic and compositional characterization of an arterial plaque by dual mechanical strain and thermal strain imaging using a single ultrasound probe

Vulnerable plaques are often identified with a lipid pool, which is characterized by its mechanical and compositional contrast to the surrounding water bearing tissues. Ultrasound (US) elasticity imaging (UEI) can assess the elastic property by measuring mechanical strain induced by cardiac pulsation, and US thermal strain imaging (TSI) can determine the lipid contents of the plaque by measuring thermal strain induced by sound speed change due to temperature increase. In this study, the feasibility of dual UEI and TSI using a single US linear array to assess both elasticity and composition of a plaque is demonstrated by in silico simulation and in-vitro water tank experiments.