Small animal echocardiographic particle-image velocimetry

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As blood is pumped through the body, part of its normal function is to exert mechanical forces on the lining of blood vessels. In fact, some degree of mechanical force is required to maintain healthy vessels - in areas of disturbed flow, the mechanical force of the blood is reduced or oscillatory and this can cause damage or lead to disease. The study of the blood flow patterns that produce these mechanical forces is known as "hemodynamics", and many laboratories are interested in how altered hemodynamics contribute to diseases such as atherosclerosis and heart failure. Mice and rats are popular choices for modeling the genetic and dietary causes of cardiovascular disease - both of which are factors that will impact how hemodynamics drive disease. Unfortunately, researchers currently lack the tools to accurately, non-invasively, and repeatedly assess hemodynamics in these small animal models. A promising means of direct blood flow pattern quantification is echocardiographic particle image velocimetry (ePIV). There, the motion of red blood cells is recorded by ultrasound and tracked to identify patterns of speed, direction, and force in the blood flow. While highly promising, current implementations of ePIV are limited to clinical use on humans. The acquisition of ultrasound images is too slow and resolution is too low to enable accurate tracking of red blood cells in small animals. In partnership with VisualSonics, a Canadian company that provides turn-key preclinical imaging solutions to medical researchers and scientists, we will develop an economical platform to non-invasively quantify small-animal hemodynamic forces using advanced, higher-frequency ultrasound and ePIV. The improved ePIV process will be incorporated into ultrasound systems being developed by VisualSonics for sale in the academic and industrial drug discovery, biomedical science, and medical device sectors in Canada and worldwide.