弹性管壁和脉动流体相互作用机制超声研究

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has quite high morbidity, disability, and mortality rate. From strategic forward-looking, it is urgent to explore the mechanism of how CVD evolves at early stage and to develop new diagnosing method, in order to enhance cure rate and reduce treatment cost. Early lesions, which are reduction of vascular elasticity and change of hemodynamic characteristics, are difficult to be perceived. Meanwhile, the interaction between elastic artery movement and pulsatile blood flow is still unclear. Till now, there is no method or tool that suitable for in-depth research. This project aims to fabricate elastic vessel phantoms and construct pulsatile flow circulation system, develop two-modal ultrasound imaging method, simultaneously measure vascular elasticity and hemodynamic characteristics with the aid of ultrasound imaging techniques, and understand the mechanism of how vascular elasticity and hemodynamics interact with each other. Our research can be detailed as: Firstly, elastic vessel phantoms are to be fabricated, and a fluid circulation system that contains blood pump, vessel phantom, and so on is to be constructed, so that the vessel phantom would undergo pulsatile diastole and systole like real human vessel; Secondly, a high frame rate ultrasound system is used to take consecutive images of pulsatile vessel and microbubbles-seeded blood flow. Corresponding regions of vessel and microbubbles-seeded blood flow in two adjacent ultrasound B-mode images are subjected to personalized cross-correlation process, to accurately obtain vessel motion, vessel elasticity, and hemodynamic characteristics; Thirdly, in different experiments, vessel phantoms are replaced in the flow circulation system. As the vessel elasticity changes, the evolution of vessel pulsation and hemodynamics are investigated and the interaction between vascular elasticity and hemodynamics are researched. It can be anticipated that the accomplishment of this project can provide new diagnostic method for early lesions of vascular disease.

心血管病有极高的患病、致残和致死率。从战略前瞻性考虑，急需探索血管早期病变机制并发展诊断方法，以提高治愈率和降低治疗费用。血管早期病征为血管弹性降低和血流运动变异，不易被察觉，同时弹性血管和脉动血流相互作用的机制仍不明朗。目前尚无合适的方法或工具以开展深入的研究。本项目将制备血管仿体和建立模拟流体系统，研究超声血管弹性/血流双模成像方法，实现对血管弹性和血流运动参数的同步精确测量，理解弹性血管和脉动血流相互作用的机制。具体包括：1）制备不同弹性的血管仿体并构建脉动流体循环系统，以模拟真实血管及血流运动；2）研究超声双模成像方法，通过对血管及造影血流超声图像的高帧速采集和个性化互相关分析，同步精确获取血管弹性及血流运动参数；3）通过更换流体系统中的血管仿体，研究血管弹性改变时血管和血流运动特性的演变，研究弹性血管和脉动血流相互作用的机制。本项目的实施将为血管早期病变的诊断提供新方法和新依据。

心血管病有极高的患病、致残和致死率。从战略前瞻性考虑，急需探索血管早期病变机制并发展诊断方法，以提高治愈率和降低治疗费用。血管早期病征为血管弹性降低和血流运动变异，不易被察觉，同时弹性血管和脉动血流相互作用的机制仍不明朗。目前尚无合适的方法或工具以开展深入的研究。本项目制备了血管仿体和建立模拟流体系统，研究超声血管弹性/血流双模成像方法，实现对血管弹性和血流运动参数的同步精确测量，理解弹性血管和脉动血流相互作用的机制。具体包括：1）制备不同弹性的血管仿体并构建脉动流体循环系统，以模拟真实血管及血流运动；2）研究超声双模成像方法，通过对血管及造影血流超声图像的高帧速采集和个性化互相关分析，同步精确获取血管弹性及血流运动参数；3）通过更换流体系统中的血管仿体，研究血管弹性改变时血管和血流运动特性的演变，研究弹性血管和脉动血流相互作用的机制。本项目的主要成果体现在“超声血管仿体制备与表征”、“超声血管弹性成像”、“超声血管壁弹性/血流速度成像方法实验研究”、“血管粗糙度超声成像研究”“、“血管弹性与血流动力学相互作用机制仿体实验研究”、“超声血管弹性/血流双模成像研究应力相位角”。共发表10篇SCI论文，参加十余次IEEE IUS 和IEEE EMBS会议，申请5项专利。在本项目执行过程中所发明的超声血管弹性成像和超声血流成像技术已经在医学临床得到应用，并且部分技术已经实现产业转移转化。