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Rapid measurement of pulse wave velocity via multisite flow displacement
Author(s) -
Shao Xianzhi,
Fei Dingyu,
Kraft Kenneth A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.20298
Subject(s) - pulse wave velocity , displacement (psychology) , oscillation (cell signaling) , acoustics , position (finance) , flow (mathematics) , pulse (music) , flow velocity , physics , temporal resolution , signal (programming language) , biomedical engineering , nuclear magnetic resonance , mechanics , optics , computer science , chemistry , medicine , psychology , biochemistry , finance , detector , blood pressure , economics , psychotherapist , radiology , programming language
A MR method is presented for measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) and its application to assessing stiffness in the human thoracic aorta. This one‐dimensional (1D) flow displacement method applies a single RF comb excitation to the vessel, followed by an oscillating frequency encoding gradient, each oscillation providing a 1D projection of the vessel, enabling one to track fluid motion. The currently implemented sequence excites nine slices within a 20‐cm length of vessel and has a temporal resolution of 2.03 msec and a total acquisition time of 140 msec. Offline‐reconstructed position‐versus‐time plots show curvilinear flow displacement trajectories corresponding to fluid motion at each of the excitation positions. The PWV can be reliably calculated by curve‐fitting these trajectories to a model. In vitro studies using compliant tubes demonstrate no significant difference between results obtained using this method and those directly obtained using pressure transducers. Compared to another MR method previously developed in our laboratory, the proposed method displays improved temporal resolution and enhanced ability to extract PWV from vessels exhibiting low peak flow velocity. Preliminary data suggest that this method is feasible for in vivo application and may provide a more accurate estimation of aortic wave velocity among subjects exhibiting low peak flow velocity, such as the elderly or those with impaired cardiac function. Magn Reson Med 52:1351–1357, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.