Non-invasive estimation of pressure gradients in pulsatile flow using ultrasound

This paper investigates how pressure gradients in a pulsatile flow environment can be measured non-invasively using ultrasound. The presented set-up is based on vector velocity fields measured on a blood mimicking fluid moving at a peak flow rate of 1 ml/s through a constricted vessel. Fields of pressure gradients are calculated using the Navier-Stokes equations. Flow data are acquired to a depth of 3 cm using directional synthetic aperture flow imaging on a linear array transducer producing 1500 image frames of velocity estimates per second. Scans of a carotid bifurcation phantom with a 70% constriction are performed using an experimental scanner. The performance of the presented estimator is evaluated by comparing its results to a numerical simulation model, which geometry is reconstructed from MRI data. The study showed pressure gradients varying from 0 kPa/m to 4.5 kPa/m with a maximum bias and standard deviation of 10% and 13%, respectively, relative to peak estimated gradient. The paper concludes that maps of pressure gradients can be measured non-invasively using ultrasound with a precision of more than 85%.