New ultrasound techniques beat physical limits for prediction of rupture risk in abdominal aortic aneurysms
Hein de Hoop defended his thesis at the Department of Biomedical Engineering on May 24.
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Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) pose a serious health threat, with the risk of sudden and often fatal ruptures. However, current ultrasound techniques for assessing AAAs have limitations in accurately predicting rupture risk. An AAA occurs when a weakness in the wall of the abdominal artery leads to abnormal dilation of the vessel, which can result in life-threatening complications.
For his PhD research, Hein de Hoop has developed an innovative approach using multi-perspective ultrasound to allow more detailed and patient-specific analysis of the abdominal aortic wall. Through this new method, De Hoop hopes to improve current functional imaging techniques aimed to strike a better balance between the risk of rupture and the need for surgical intervention.
Traditional treatment criteria for AAAs are primarily based on the diameter and growth rate of the aorta, often resulting in overtreatment and the associated risks and costs. De Hoop's approach, which uses more detailed and accurate images of the aortic wall obtained by two ultrasound heads from different angles, would help physicians to perform a more patient-specific analysis.
Ultrasound imaging allows physicians to map the geometry and movement of the vessel wall in a non-invasive and cost-effective way that fits within current clinical practice. However, current ultrasound techniques struggle to accurately determine local tension and strain across the entire circumference of the vessel wall. De Hoop's research has yielded promising results. By improving the contrast and resolution of the images with the information obtained by the additional ultrasound head, multi-perspective ultrasound was able to perform an improved assessment of the vessel wall motion and deformation. By extending these methods to a clinical setting, the presented technique may play an important role in predicting the rupture risk of aneurysms.
De Hoop conducted this research within the Photoacoustics and Ultrasound Laboratory Eindhoven (PULS/e) within the department of Biomedical Engineering. The project was part of the ERC-funded project MUSE (Multi-perspective Ultrasound Strain Imaging & Elastography.
Title of PhD thesis: “Multi-aperture ultrasound strain imaging of the abdominal aorta”
Supervisors: Hans-Martin Schwab and Richard Lopata
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