title: Shear wave elastography assessment of carotid plaque stiffness: in vitro reproducibility study.
abstract: This study assessed inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of shear wave elastography (SWE) measurements in vessel phantoms simulating soft and hard carotid plaque under steady and pulsatile flow conditions. Supersonic SWE was used to acquire cine-loop data and quantify Young's modulus in cryogel vessel phantoms. Data were acquired by two observers, each performing three repeat measurements. Mean Young's modulus was quantified within 2-mm regions of interest averaged across five frames and, depending on vessel model and observer, ranged from 28 to 240 kPa. The mean inter-frame coefficient of variation (CV) was 0.13 (range: 0.07-0.18) for observer 1 and 0.14 (range: 0.12-0.16) for observer 2, with mean intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.84 and 0.83, respectively. The mean inter-operator CV was 0.13 (range: 0.08-0.20), with a mean ICC of 0.76 (range: 0.69-0.82). Our findings indicate that SWE can quantify Young's modulus of carotid plaque phantoms with good reproducibility, even in the presence of pulsatile flow.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, United Kingdom. Electronic address: kumar.ramnarine@uhl-tr.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Kumar V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Ramnarine
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Garrard
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dexter
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nduwayo
authors.forename: Ronney B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Panerai
authors.forename: Thompson G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015588:Observer Variation; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014655:Vascular Resistance
keywords: Carotid plaque; Reproducibility; Shear wave elastography; Young’s modulus