To describe the clinical application of a novel ultrasound ultrafast technique, high -frame rate Vector Flow (HiFR-VF), in estimating the wall shear stress (WSS) in the carotid bifurcation, to obtain a comprehensive assessment of blood flow and a better understanding of which conditions are most consistently associated with the development of vascular disease.

Some studies have been performed to analyze the flow in the carotid arteries and to establish the correlations between plaque formation and complex flow patterns [1]. It has been shown that blood flow characteristics are involved in the development of atherosclerosis in the carotid bifurcation [2]. Local modifications in blood flow patterns are associated with vessel geometry variation at bends and bifurcations, and adverse pressure gradient and significant flow decelerations, as seen in the carotid bifurcation [3]. Model flow studies of the carotid bifurcation have...

HIGH-FRAME RATE VECTOR FLOW Recently HiFR-VF, which derives the 2D velocity vectors at any location from multi-directional transmission and reception of plane waves based on Doppler technique [10, 11], has been introduced on a high-end ultrasound commercial system equipped with linear transducers (bandwidth 3-9 MHz and 3-11 MHz) set for the vascular application. The current version of the commercial HiFR-VF analyzes the flow at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 3-10 kHz for 1.5 seconds, thereby allowing the examination of at least one cardiac cycle,...

The availability of WSS estimation in clinical practice may serve in the investigation of various pathophysiological conditions affecting the vascular endothelium. It can also be an essential adjunction in the assessment of the clinical value among different flow patterns, as well as vessel stenosis.

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