ASSESSMENT OF CAROTID PLAQUE WITH APPLICATION OF CONTRAST ENHANCED ULTRASONIC IMAGING

摘要

FIELD: medicine.;SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to medical equipment, specifically to means of assessing the risk of stroke using ultrasonic imaging. Diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system for assessing a plaque with ultrasound with contrasting comprises an ultrasonic imaging sensor with a matrix transducer configured to collect a sequence of ultrasonic images of a plaque region in the carotid artery during supply of a contrast agent, calculator of time-intensity curves for each pixel from pixels in the plaque area on ultrasonic images of the sequence, where a contrast is present, a comparator configured to determine each pixel from pixels in the plaque region, where the perfusion occurs, wherein the contrast in the given pixel is based on the time-intensity curve for the given pixel, and a display configured to display the degree of perfusion within the plaque. Method of assessing a plaque with ultrasound with contrasting involves steps of collecting a series of ultrasonic images of a carotid artery with a plaque during supply of a contrast agent, identifying a region of the plaque on the ultrasonic sequence image, generating a time-intensity curve for each pixel from pixels in the plaque region, comparing intensity values of each pixel before and after the contrast appears, determining each pixel from pixels in the plaque region on the perfusion image, wherein the contrast in the given pixel is based on the time-intensity curve for the given pixel and the perfusion degree display in the plaque region.;EFFECT: using the inventions enables minimizing or preventing the risk of stroke due to plaque identification.;15 cl, 6 dwg