Ultrasound radiofrequency technology for measurement of the common carotid artery stiffness. Significance of the measured indices

Ts. Kmetski, G. Tsonevska, I. Velcheva

Abstract: The local carotid stiffness is of great interest because of the frequent atherosclerotic changes and the risk for brain disturbances: stroke, dementia, depression. The various indices for evaluation of arterial stiffness present the alterations of the arterial wall structure and function and of the blood pressure changes and they are assessed by different methods. The optimal conditions for precise determination of the local carotid stiffness require the use of ultrasound echotracking systems, where the local arterial stiffness is determined by simultaneous measurement of stroke changes in diameter and local pulse pressure. The additional ultrasound employment of radiofrequency signal-based technology provides superior spatial resolution and accuracy of the system. The various measures of arterial stiffness are not interchangeable since they assess different elements in the arterial wall that are differently affected by blood pressure changes. They should be discussed with caution in clinical settings.


Series on Biomechanics, Vol.32, No.2 (2018), 18-23

Keywords: Carotid stiffness; indices; methods; radiofrequency technology

Date published: 2018-08-20