Utility of vector flow mapping technology in quantitative assessment of carotid wall shear stress in hypertensive patients: A preliminary study

BACKGROUND: Blood flowing in the arterial lumen acts on the surface of the vessel wall to form wall shear stress (WSS). To date, there has been limited research on the utility of non-invasive technology in the accurate quantification of carotid WSS in patients with hypertension (HP). OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to explore the usage of vascular vector flow mapping (VFM) in the quantitative assessment of carotid WSS in hypertensive patients at an early stage and to validate its clinical utility. METHODS: A total of 50 individuals confirmed without carotid plaques were grouped into a HP group (n = 25) and a control (CON) group (n = 25) according to blood pressure. An ALOKA LISENDO 880 Color Doppler Ultrasound with a L441 3–15 MHZ probe was used to obtain a longitudinal section scan to determine the regions of interests (ROIs) of the common carotid artery. VFM-based WSS measurements were obtained by selecting the ROI with optimal image quality from three full cardiac cycles. WSS-derived measurements, including WSS(max), WSS(min), and WSS(mean), were analyzed and compared between the HP and CON groups. In addition, the correlations between WSS-derived measurements and the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) were also analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant statistical differences in WSS(max) and WSS(mean) between patients in the HP and CON groups. Specifically, the HP group had significantly decreased WSS(max) and WSS(mean) compared to the CON group (WSS(max): 1.781 ± 0.305 Pa vs. 2.286 ± 0.257 Pa; WSS(mean): 1.276 ± 0.333 Pa vs. 1.599 ± 0.293 Pa, both p < 0.001). However, there was no statistical difference in WSS(min) between the groups (0.79 ± 0.36 vs. 0.99 ± 0.42, p = 0.080). Additionally, Spearman’s correlation analysis indicated that the WSS-derived parameters were negatively correlated with the IMT (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Vascular VFM technology shows promising results in the quantitative assessment of difference in hemodynamics of the vascular flow field between patients with HP and normal controls. Difference in WSS may serve as a potential predictor for the development of arteriosclerosis risks.