ARTERIAL ULTRASOUND ANALYSIS SOFTWARE PACKAGE

该提案将允许开发一个强大、准确和经验证的软件包，用于根据超声图像和图像序列高度自动化地评估动脉血流介导的扩张（FMD）。一个具有已知行为和评估准确性的商业软件包将可用于无创评估内皮功能障碍，这是心血管疾病的最早指标之一。FMD的评估需要准确确定基线动脉直径以及在阻塞血流几分钟后连续识别直径变化。目前使用肱动脉超声，但开发的方法将适用于所有外周血管。所提出的研究的总体目标是开发一种自动化的方法来分析动脉超声图像和图像序列。此外，新的形态学和功能指标相关的FMD将被开发，这将是潜在的有用的动脉粥样硬化过程的早期措施。具体目标是：1.开发一种实用、稳健和准确的方法，用于动脉超声图像序列的自动分析。2.在临床采集的图像数据集中评价其准确性和再现性。所提出的方法有可能确定谁是注定动脉粥样硬化闭塞性血管疾病的受试者。拟议的商业应用：拟议的软件包将首先用于研究内皮功能的研究人员。以后，该软件将成为一种低成本的工具，用于筛选患者，以识别内皮功能受损的受试者，并将位于几乎每个家庭诊所。虽然超过6，000，000名美国患者患有症状性冠状动脉疾病，但更多的成年人患有某种程度的冠状动脉粥样硬化狭窄。1991年，中风影响了大约500，000人，造成143，000多人死亡;周围血管疾病导致267，000人住院治疗，42，000人死亡。如果要采取预防措施，识别亚临床疾病的高危个体至关重要。

This proposal will allow development of a robust, accurate, and validated software package for highly automated assessment of arterial flow mediated dilatation (FMD) from ultrasound images and image sequences. A commercially available software package with known behavior and assessed accuracy will become available for non-invasive assessment of endothelial dysfunction, one of the earliest indicators of cardiovascular disease. Assessment of FMD requires accurate determination of baseline artery diameter as well as continuous identification of diameter changes after obstructing the blood flow for a period of several minutes. Brachial arterial ultrasound is currently utilized but the developed methodology will be applicable to all peripheral vessels. The overall aim of the proposed research is to develop an automated method for analysis of arterial ultrasound images and image sequences. In addition, new morphological and functional indices related to FMD will be developed that would be potentially useful as early measures of the atherosclerotic process. The specific aims are to: 1. Develop a practical, robust, and accurate method for automated analysis ofarterial ultrasound image sequences. 2. Evaluate its accuracy and reproducibility in clinically acquired image data sets. The proposed methodology has the potential to identify subjects who are destined for atherosclerotic occlusive vascular disease. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The proposed software package will first be used by researchers studying endothelial function. Later, the software will become a low-cost tool for screening of patients to identify subjects with impaired endothelial function and will be located in almost every family practice office. While more than 6,000,000 U.S. patients have symptomatic coronary artery disease, many more adults have some degree of atherosclerotic narrowing of their coronary arteries. In 1991 stroke affected approximately 500,000 people, killing more than 143,000; peripheral vascular disease resulted in 267,000 hospitalizations and 42,000 deaths. The identification of high-risk individuals with subclinical disease is of major importance if preventive measures are to be instituted.