Ultrasonic Doppler Vibrometry: Measurement of Left Ventricular Wall Vibrations Associated With Coronary Artery Disease

We have developed a new method of detecting coronary artery stenoses that uses Doppler ultrasound to measure minute local vibrations in the cardiac wall associated with post-stenotic flow turbulence. In this paper, we present the results of a preliminary clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of this method for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary angiography as the gold standard. The study population consisted of 34 patients clinically-indicated for coronary angiography. Based on the catheterization reports, the patients were divided into three categories: severe (obstructive CAD, typically with >70% diameter reduction), moderate (non-obstructive CAD, typically with