Enhanced vascular strain imaging using arterial pressure equalization

Peripheral vascular strain imaging has limited strain dynamic range since arterial wall deformations only produce small strains under physiologic pressures. A non-invasive method has been developed to apply external force, comparable to the force generated in measuring a subject´s blood pressure, to achieve higher strains by equalizing the internal arterial baseline pressure. When the applied pressure matched the internal baseline diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg, strain and strain rate increased by a factor of 10 over a cardiac cycle. The feasibility of this technique is validated through ex- and in-vivo measurements.