title: Physiologic cardiovascular strain and intrinsic wave imaging.
abstract: Cardiovascular disease remains the primary killer worldwide. The heart, essentially an electrically driven mechanical pump, alters its mechanical and electrical properties to compensate for loss of normal mechanical and electrical function. The same adjustment also is performed in the vessels, which constantly adapt their properties to accommodate mechanical and geometrical changes related to aging or disease. Real-time, quantitative assessment of cardiac contractility, conduction, and vascular function before the specialist can visually detect it could be feasible. This new physiologic data could open up interactive therapy regimens that are currently not considered. The eventual goal of this technology is to provide a specific method for estimating the position and severity of contraction defects in cardiac infarcts or angina. This would improve care and outcomes as well as detect stiffness changes and overcome the current global measurement limitations in the progression of vascular disease, at little more cost or risk than that of a clinical ultrasound.
authors.affiliation: Ultrasound and Elasticity Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10023, USA. ek2191@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Konofagou
authors.forename: Wei-Ning
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jianwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Provost
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vappou
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000379:methods*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D014463:Ultrasonography