Measurement of elastic moduli of the arterial wall at multiple frequencies by remote actuation for assessment of viscoelasticity

To characterize tissues in atherosclerotic plaques, we have developed a method, the phased tracking method, for measuring the strain (change in wall thickness) and elasticity of the arterial wall. However, some types of tissue, such as lipids and blood clots, cannot be discriminated from each other based only on elasticity due to the small difference in their elasticity. For more precise tissue characterization, we have measured the regional viscoelasticity. To obtain the viscoelasticity, in this study, elastic moduli at multiple frequencies were measured with ultrasound by generating the change in internal pressure due to remote cyclic actuation. Furthermore, the viscoelasticity of the arterial wall was estimated from the measured elastic moduli at multiple actuation frequencies.