title: Motion Artifact Reduction in Ultrasound Based Thermal Strain Imaging of Atherosclerotic Plaques Using Time Series Analysis.
abstract: Large lipid pools in vulnerable plaques, in principle, can be detected using US based thermal strain imaging (US-TSI). One practical challenge forin vivocardiovascular application of US-TSI is that the thermal strain is masked by the mechanical strain caused by cardiac pulsation. ECG gating is a widely adopted method for cardiac motion compensation, but it is often susceptible to electrical and physiological noise. In this paper, we present an alternative time series analysis approach to separate thermal strain from the mechanical strain without using ECG. The performance and feasibility of the time-series analysis technique was testedvianumerical simulation as well asin vitrowater tank experiments using a vessel mimicking phantom and an excised human atherosclerotic artery where the cardiac pulsation is simulated by a pulsatile pump.
authors.affiliation: Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics - Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Debaditya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics - Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Department of Biomedical Engineering and Systems, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.affiliation: Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Leers
authors.affiliation: Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics - Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA ; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim