Sasaki S, Yokobori A T, Ohkuma T
Department of Mechatronics and Precision Engg, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Biomed Mater Eng. 1994;4(2):97-103.
Previously, we developed the noninvasive estimation method on the viscoelastic deterioration of the blood vessel and related materials by using Ultrasonic Doppler Effect Sensor and we presented its theoretical foundation. Furthermore, we applied this method to discriminate the human blood vessels with atherosclerosis from normal blood vessels, as the viscoelastic deterioration under in vitro condition and proposed the algorithm for its diagnosis. In the present paper, we propose the software for personal computer (AORTA) for clinical diagnosis on the atherosclerosis within a few minutes by using Ultrasonic Doppler Effect Sensor based on this algorithm. Using this software, we clinically applied this method to patients with atherosclerosis and normal people. It enables us to discriminate the atherosclerotic blood vessels from those of the normal blood vessel within several minutes. By using this system, it is found that the normal human blood vessel has elastic property. When the blood vessel becomes atherosclerotic, it deteriorates in elasticity and shows the viscoelastic property. This system evaluates noninvasively the viscoelastic property of the blood vessel and the degree of the atherosclerosis.
