Experimental validation of non-invasive and fluid density independent methods for the determination of local wave speed and arrival time of reflected wave.

Abstract

The relationship between the vessel diameter (D) and fluid velocity (U) in arteries and flexible tubes has been recently characterized as linear in the absence of wave reflections. This relationship allowed for determining local wave speed (C(DU)) using the lnDU-loop method. Using C(DU), it was possible to separate U and D waveforms into their forward and backward components. It was also possible to calculate wave intensity (dI(DU)), using D and U, from which the arrival time of reflected wave (Trw(DU)) could be determined. These techniques are fluid density independent and require only non-invasive measurements of D and U. In this work we experimentally validate the relative accuracy of these new techniques in vitro, by comparing their results of C(DU) and Trw(DU) to those determined by the established techniques, PU-loop and wave intensity analysis, C and Trw, respectively. We generated a single semi-sinusoidal wave in long flexible tubes, and simultaneously measured pressure (P), D, and U at the same site. Sequentially in time, we repeated this experiment at three sites along each of the flexible tubes, which were made of different materials and sizes, and three fluids of different densities. C(DU) compared well with that C and likewise Trw(DU) was very similar to Trw. Varying fluid density did not appreciably change the difference between the results of the two techniques. We conclude that the new techniques for determining C(DU) and Trw(DU), although independent of density, provide relatively accurate estimates of wave speed and arrival times of reflected waves in vitro. The new techniques require only non-invasive measurements of D and U, and further in vivo validation is required to establish its advantage in the clinical setting.