Department of Radiological Science, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea.
Department of Health Science, Gachon University Graduate School, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea.
Sensors (Basel). 2023 Oct 16;23(20):8487. doi: 10.3390/s23208487.
It is important to improve cerebrovascular health before the occurrence of cerebrovascular disease, as it has various aftereffects and a high recurrence rate, even with appropriate treatment. Various medical recommendations for preventing cerebrovascular diseases have been introduced, including smoking cessation, exercise, and diet. However, the effectiveness of these methods varies greatly from person to person, and their effects cannot be confirmed unless they are practiced over a long period. Therefore, there is a growing need to develop more quantitative methods that are applicable to the public to promote cerebrovascular health. Thus, in this study, we aimed to develop noninvasive and quantitative thermal stimulation techniques using ultrasound to improve cerebrovascular health and prevent cerebrovascular diseases. This study included 27 healthy adults in their 20s (14 males, 13 females). Thermal stimulation using therapeutic ultrasound at a frequency of 3 MHz was applied to the right sternocleidomastoid muscle in the supine posture for 2 min at four intensities (2.4, 5.1, 7.2, and 10.2 W/cm). Diagnostic ultrasound was used to measure the peak systolic velocity (PSV), heart rate (HR), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the right common carotid artery (CCA), and the physiological changes were compared between intervention intensities. Compared to pre-intervention (preI), the PSV showed a significant increase during intervention (durI) at intensities of 7.2 W/cm and 10.2 W/cm ( = 0.010 and = 0.021, respectively). Additionally, PWV showed a significant decrease for post-intervention (postI) at 7.2 W/cm and 10.2 W/cm ( = 0.036 and = 0.035, respectively). However, the HR showed no significant differences at any of the intensities. The results demonstrate that an intervention at 3 MHz with an intensity of 7.2 W/cm or more can substantially increase cerebral blood flow and reduce arterial stiffness. Therefore, the use of therapeutic ultrasound of appropriate intensity is expected to improve the cerebral blood flow and reduce vascular stiffness to maintain cerebral blood flow at a certain level, which is closely related to the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases, thereby improving cerebrovascular health.
在脑血管病发生之前，改善脑血管健康非常重要，因为即使经过适当治疗，它也会有各种后遗症，且复发率较高。已经介绍了各种预防脑血管病的医学建议，包括戒烟、运动和饮食。然而，这些方法的有效性因人而异，除非长期实践，否则无法确认其效果。因此，人们越来越需要开发更适用于公众的定量方法来促进脑血管健康。因此，在这项研究中，我们旨在开发使用超声的无创和定量热刺激技术来改善脑血管健康并预防脑血管病。本研究纳入了 27 名 20 多岁的健康成年人（男性 14 名，女性 13 名）。在仰卧位下，使用 3MHz 的治疗超声对右侧胸锁乳突肌进行 2 分钟的热刺激，强度为 4 个等级（2.4、5.1、7.2 和 10.2W/cm）。使用诊断超声测量右侧颈总动脉（CCA）的收缩期峰值速度（PSV）、心率（HR）和脉搏波速度（PWV），并比较干预强度之间的生理变化。与干预前（preI）相比，在 7.2W/cm 和 10.2W/cm 的强度下，PSV 在干预期间（durI）显著增加（ = 0.010 和 = 0.021）。此外，在 7.2W/cm 和 10.2W/cm 的强度下，PWV 在干预后（postI）显著降低（ = 0.036 和 = 0.035）。然而，HR 在任何强度下均无显著差异。结果表明，强度为 7.2W/cm 或更高的 3MHz 干预可显著增加脑血流量并降低动脉僵硬度。因此，使用适当强度的治疗超声有望改善脑血流并降低血管僵硬度，以维持脑血流在一定水平，这与脑血管病的预防和治疗密切相关，从而改善脑血管健康。
