title: Ultrasonic speed microscopy for imaging of coronary artery.
abstract: We have been developing a scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) system for medicine and biology featuring quantitative measurement of ultrasonic speed and attenuation of soft tissues. In the present study, we will propose a new concept ultrasonic speed microscopy that can measure the thickness and ultrasonic speed using fast Fourier transform of a single pulsed wave instead of continuous waves used in conventional SAM systems. Six coronary arteries were frozen and sectioned approximately 10 microm in thickness. They were mounted on glass slides without cover slips. The scanning time of a frame with 300 x 300 pixels was 121 s and two-dimensional distribution of ultrasonic speed was obtained. The ultrasonic speed was 1720 m/s in the thickened intima with collagen fiber, 1520 m/s in lipid deposition underlying fibrous cap and 1830 m/s in calcified lesion in the intima. These basic measurements will help understanding echogenecity in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images. Imaging of coronary artery with the ultrasonic speed microscopy provides important information for study of IVUS coronary imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Engineering and Cardiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan. saijo@idac.tohoku.ac.jp <saijo@idac.tohoku.ac.jp>
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saijo
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hozumi
authors.forename: Cheolkyou
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagao
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Nagaya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oakada
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Esmeraldo Dos
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Santos Filho
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Motonao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yambe
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D033401:Microscopy, Acoustic / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*