Intravascular Ultrasound Imaging in the Assessment of Atherosclerotic Plaques in Rabbit Abdominal Aorta

Abstract

A good correlation between ultrasound images and histologic features was observed. These results suggest that intravascular ultrasound imaging could provide useful information for assessing the tissue characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions.

Extraction of instantaneous changes in arterial walls with sequential ultrasound images

“…Several invasive and non-invasive methods have been used for evaluating arterial wall properties, such as intravascular ultrasound, pulse wave velocity (PWV), applanation tonometry, phased Doppler velocitometry, and multigated pulsed Doppler, but most of these methods require special equipment, training, and techniques [22][23][24]. Using intravascular ultrasound as an accurate imaging modality for the assessment of arterial properties and morphology is well established [25,26], but invasive applications of the method have restricted its use. Using intravascular ultrasound may damage the arterial endothelium [10], which limits repeated investigation of arterial properties, even in animal studies.…”

Early endothelial dysfunction in cholesterol-fed rabbits: a non-invasive in vivo ultrasound study.

“…Ultrasound evaluation of the aorta in rabbits has been performed in the past mostly to evaluate the extent of atherosclerotic plaques in response to a hypercholesterolemic diet. Intravascular ultrasound has been used to document endothelial dysfunction but has never been compared to ex vivo evaluation of endothelial function on aortic rings [1-5]. Our method is much less invasive for the animals than intravascular ultrasound.…”

“…Historically, evaluation of endothelial function in small animals has been performed on isolated vessel segments, or vessels exposed by surgical procedures. Very few attempts were made to develop a method of analysis of endothelium-dependent relaxation in vivo [1-5]. In those studies, an invasive intravascular ultrasound approach was used.…”

Imaging of Atherosclerosis in WHHL Rabbits Using High-Resolution Ultrasound

“…Further, MRI, with its limited spatial and temporal resolution, usually requires mechanical ventilation of the animals, an approach that can be troublesome and may limit repeated examinations. Other methods, such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), can provide high-quality images with good resolution at a high frame rate (Ochiai et al 2002;Manninen et al 1998). However, most of the studies are terminal because of their invasive approach and, therefore, serial studies are not permitted.…”

“…Imaging techniques of the atherosclerotic process provide detailed plaque morphology and may thereby provide an increased understanding of the pathogenesis of plaque development (Fayad et al 1998;Fayad and Fuster 2000;Ruehm 2003). Intravascular ultrasound gives high-resolution images of plaque (Waller et al 1992;Manninen et al 1998;Ochiai et al 2002), but the technique is invasive and is not suitable for repeat examinations.…”