CATHETER ARRAY FOR MECHANICAL IMAGING OF CORONARY ARTERY

在过去的5年里，血管内成像技术取得了很大的进步。 冠状动脉的血管。这是这个提案的基本前提， 然而，当前血管内成像设备可以显著地 经过改进和扩展，提供的不仅仅是诊断信息。 具体地，组织硬度(即，弹性)的图像可以提供 关键反馈以指导治疗和预测 最终再狭窄。实际上，这样的弹性图像可能允许 临床医生在使用导管时“感觉”动脉壁 程序。 为了生成冠状动脉的机械图像，超声成像 系统必须集成到受控机械变形装置中 驻留在血管管腔内。超声成像仪建议用于 该装置是一种基于导管的阵列系统，可以动态地聚焦于 仅使用单一连接的大景深超声波束 在导管尖端和成像控制台之间。虽然很简单 结构，它有可能产生高分辨率的图像 冠状动脉血管。阵列换能器被放置在常规的 球囊血管成形术导管，球囊与成像相交 飞机。通过减缓和持续地使动脉壁变形 球囊同时与导管阵列成像时，数据可以 获取以成像墙的弹性属性。由于弹性 与人类的触觉有很好的相关性，机械图像可能允许 临床医生在诊断和治疗期间“触诊”冠状动脉 治疗程序。 作为拟议研究计划的一部分，与以下方面有关的所有技术问题 该系统包括运动伪影、特定图像重建 将讨论算法、形变测量和定制探头。 这项提议的主要目标之一是建立一个 演示机械成像能力的原型系统 冠状动脉。

Great progress has been made in the last 5 years in intravascular imaging of coronary arteries. It is the fundamental premise of this proposal, however, that current intravascular imaging devices can be dramatically improved and extended to provide more than diagnostic information alone. In particular, images of tissue hardness (i.e., elasticity) may provide critical feedback to both guide therapy and predict the likelihood of eventual restenosis. In effect, such elasticity images may allow the clinician to "feel" the arterial wall while performing catheter based procedures. To generate mechanical images of coronary arteries, an ultrasound imaging system must be integrated into a controlled mechanical deformation device resident in the lumen of the vessel. The ultrasound imager proposed for this device is a catheter based array system that can dynamically focus an ultrasound beam over a large depth of field using only a single connection between the catheter tip and the imaging console. Although simple in construction, it has the potential to produce high resolution images of coronary vessels. The array transducer is placed within a conventional balloon angioplasty catheter, where the balloon intersects the imaging plane. By slowing and continuously deforming the arterial wall with the balloon while simultaneously imaging with the catheter array, data can be acquired to image the elastic properties of the wall. Since elasticity correlates well with the human sense of touch, mechanical images may allow the clinician to "palpate" coronary vessels during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. As part of the proposed research plan, all technical issues related to this system, including motion artifacts, specific image reconstruction algorithms, deformation measurements and custom probes, will be addressed. It is one of the primary objectives of this proposal to construct a prototype system demonstrating the capabilities of mechanical imaging of coronary arteries.