Measurement of local pulse wave velocity in arteriosclerosis by ultrasonic Doppler method

This paper presents a new method to measure local pulse wave velocity (PWV), which is an index of the hardness in the range of several millimeters on the aortic wall for diagnosis of the early stage arteriosclerosis. Small vibration signals are measured simultaneously at two adjacent points on the aortic wall near the aortic valve by electronically alternating the direction of an ultrasonic beam. Transit delay time of the pulse wave between these two points is determined from the two vibration signals obtained by this alternating-beam method. Local PWV at a point several millimeters along the aorta is precisely obtained by dividing distance between these points by resultant transit delay time. Such local acoustic properties of the blood vessels will prove useful, especially for non-invasive diagnosis of early stage arteriosclerosis.