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Policastro P, Ermini L, Civera S, Albani S, Musumeci G, Roatta S, Mesin L. Effect of Respirophasic Displacement of the Inferior Vena Cava on Size Measurement in 2-D Ultrasound Imaging. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2024:S0301-5629(24)00267-9. [PMID: 39242257 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Volume status assessment of a patient by ultrasound (US) imaging of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is important for the diagnosis and prognosis of various clinical conditions. In order to improve the clinical investigation of IVC, which is mainly based on unidirectional US (in M-mode), automated processing of 2-D US scans (in B-mode) has enabled tissue movement tracking on the visualized plane and can average this in various directions. However, IVC geometry outside of the visualized plane is not under control and could result in errors that have not yet been evaluated. METHODS We used a method that integrates information from long- and short-axis IVC views (simultaneously acquired in the X-plane) to assess challenges in IVC diameter estimations using 2-D US scans in eight healthy subjects. RESULTS Relative movements between the US probe and IVC induced the following problems when assessing IVC diameter via 2-D view: a median error (i.e., absolute difference with respect to diameter measured in the X-plane) of 17% using 2-D US scans in the long-axis view of the IVC affected by medio-lateral displacements (median: 4 mm); and a median error of 7% and 9% when measuring the IVC diameter from a short-axis view in the presence of pitch angle (median: 0.12 radians) and cranio-caudal movement (median: 15 mm), respectively. CONCLUSION Relative movements in the IVC that are out of view of B-mode scans cannot be detected, which results in challenges in IVC diameter estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Policastro
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Leonardo Ermini
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Stefania Civera
- Division of Cardiology, Ospedale Ordine Mauriziano di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Stefano Albani
- Division of Cardiology, Ospedale Ordine Mauriziano di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Musumeci
- Division of Cardiology, Ospedale Ordine Mauriziano di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Luca Mesin
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy.
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Policastro P, Mesin L. Processing Ultrasound Scans of the Inferior Vena Cava: Techniques and Applications. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:1076. [PMID: 37760178 PMCID: PMC10525913 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10091076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The inferior vena cava (IVC) is the largest vein in the body. It returns deoxygenated blood to the heart from the tissues placed under the diaphragm. The size and dynamics of the IVC depend on the blood volume and right atrial pressure, which are important indicators of a patient's hydration and reflect possible pathological conditions. Ultrasound (US) assessment of the IVC is a promising technique for evaluating these conditions, because it is fast, non-invasive, inexpensive, and without side effects. However, the standard M-mode approach for measuring IVC diameter is prone to errors due to the vein movements during respiration. B-mode US produces two-dimensional images that better capture the IVC shape and size. In this review, we discuss the pros and cons of current IVC segmentation techniques for B-mode longitudinal and transverse views. We also explored several scenarios where automated IVC segmentation could improve medical diagnosis and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luca Mesin
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy;
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Ermini L, Seddone S, Policastro P, Mesin L, Pasquero P, Roatta S. The Cardiac Caval Index: Improving Noninvasive Assessment of Cardiac Preload. JOURNAL OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE 2022; 41:2247-2258. [PMID: 34877689 DOI: 10.1002/jum.15909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Inferior vena cava (IVC) pulsatility quantified by the Caval Index (CI) is characterized by poor reliability, also due to the irregular magnitude of spontaneous respiratory activity generating the major pulsatile component. The aim of this study was to test whether the IVC cardiac oscillatory component could provide a more stable index (Cardiac CI-CCI) compared to CI or respiratory CI (RCI). METHODS Nine healthy volunteers underwent long-term monitoring in supine position of IVC, followed by 3 minutes passive leg raising (PLR). CI, RCI, and CCI were extracted from video recordings by automated edge-tracking and CCI was averaged over each respiratory cycle (aCCI). Cardiac output (CO), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were also recorded during baseline (1 minutes prior to PLR) and PLR (first minute). RESULTS In response to PLR, all IVC indices decreased (P < .01), CO increased by 4 ± 4% (P = .055) while HR and MAP did not vary. The Coefficient of Variation (CoV) of aCCI (13 ± 5%) was lower than that of CI (17 ± 5%, P < .01), RCI (26 ± 7%, P < .001) and CCI (25 ± 7%, P < .001). The mutual correlations in time of the indices were 0.81 (CI-RCI), 0.49 (CI-aCCI) and 0.2 (RCI-aCCI). CONCLUSIONS Long-term IVC monitoring by automated edge-tracking allowed us to evidence that 1) respiratory and averaged cardiac pulsatility components are uncorrelated and thus carry different information and 2) the new index aCCI, exhibiting the lowest CoV while maintaining good sensitivity to blood volume changes, may overcome the poor reliability of CI and RCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Ermini
- Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Stefano Seddone
- Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Piero Policastro
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Luca Mesin
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Paolo Pasquero
- Department of Medical Sciences, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Silvestro Roatta
- Laboratory of Integrative Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, Università di Torino, Torino, Italy
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Mesin L, Floris L, Policastro P, Albani S, Scacciatella P, Pugliese N, Masi S, Grillo A, Fabris B, Antonini-Canterin F. Estimation of Aortic Stiffness with Bramwell–Hill Equation: A Comparative Analysis with Carotid–Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:bioengineering9070265. [PMID: 35877316 PMCID: PMC9311937 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9070265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Aortic stiffness is an important clinical parameter for predicting cardiovascular events. Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) has been proposed for performing this evaluation non-invasively; however, it requires dedicated equipment and experienced operators. We explored the possibility of measuring aortic stiffness using ultrasound scans of the abdominal aorta coupled with the Bramwell–Hill equation. Healthy subjects were investigated; measurements of cf-PWV were taken by arterial tonometry and aortic systo-diastolic pressure difference was estimated using a validated model. Pulsatility of an abdominal tract of aorta was assessed by automated processing of ultrasound scans. Through a Bland–Altmann analysis, we found large biases when estimating each parameter by applying the Bramwell–Hill equation to the measured values of the other two paramters (bias, ± 1.96 SD; PWV, about 2.1 ± 2.5 m/s; pulsatility, 12 ± 14%; pressure jump, 47 ± 55 mmHg). These results indicate that the two measures are not interchangeable, and that a large part of the bias is attributable to blood pressure estimation. Further studies are needed to identify the possible sources of bias between cf-PWV and aortic pulsatility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Mesin
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy; (L.F.); (P.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-090-4085
| | - Luca Floris
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy; (L.F.); (P.P.)
| | - Piero Policastro
- Mathematical Biology and Physiology, Department Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy; (L.F.); (P.P.)
| | - Stefano Albani
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (S.A.); (P.S.)
| | - Paolo Scacciatella
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (S.A.); (P.S.)
| | - Nicola Pugliese
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (N.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Stefano Masi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (N.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Andrea Grillo
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (A.G.); (B.F.)
| | - Bruno Fabris
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (A.G.); (B.F.)
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Non-Invasive Estimation of Right Atrial Pressure Using a Semi-Automated Echocardiographic Tool for Inferior Vena Cava Edge-Tracking. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11123257. [PMID: 35743330 PMCID: PMC9224556 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11123257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-invasive estimation of right atrial pressure (RAP) would be a key advancement in several clinical scenarios, in which the knowledge of central venous filling pressure is vital for patients’ management. The echocardiographic estimation of RAP proposed by Guidelines, based on inferior vena cava (IVC) size and respirophasic collapsibility, is exposed to operator and patient dependent variability. We propose novel methods, based on semi-automated edge-tracking of IVC size and cardiac collapsibility (cardiac caval index—CCI), tested in a monocentric retrospective cohort of patients undergoing echocardiography and right heart catheterization (RHC) within 24 h in condition of clinical and therapeutic stability (170 patients, age 64 ± 14, male 45%, with pulmonary arterial hypertension, heart failure, valvular heart disease, dyspnea, or other pathologies). IVC size and CCI were integrated with other standard echocardiographic features, selected by backward feature selection and included in a linear model (LM) and a support vector machine (SVM), which were cross-validated. Three RAP classes (low < 5 mmHg, intermediate 5−10 mmHg and high > 10 mmHg) were generated and RHC values used as comparator. LM and SVM showed a higher accuracy than Guidelines (63%, 71%, and 61% for LM, SVM, and Guidelines, respectively), promoting the integration of IVC and echocardiographic features for an improved non-invasive estimation of RAP.
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A Portable Device for the Measurement of Venous Pulse Wave Velocity. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12042173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Pulse wave velocity in veins (vPWV) has recently been reconsidered as a potential index of vascular filling, which may be valuable in the clinic for fluid therapy. The measurement requires that an exogenous pressure pulse is generated in the venous blood stream by external pneumatic compression. To obtain optimal measure repeatability, the compression is delivered synchronously with the heart and respiratory activity. We present a portable prototype for the assessment of vPWV based on the PC board Raspberry Pi and equipped with an A/D board. It acquires respiratory and ECG signals, and the Doppler shift from the ultrasound monitoring of blood velocity from the relevant vein, drives the pneumatic cuff inflation, and returns multiple measurements of vPWV. The device was tested on four healthy volunteers (2 males, 2 females, age 33±13 years), subjected to the passive leg raising (PLR) manoeuvre simulating a transient increase in blood volume. Measurement of vPWV in the basilic vein exhibited a low coefficient of variation (3.6±1.1%), a significant increase during PLR in all subjects, which is consistent with previous findings. This device allows for carrying out investigations in hospital wards on different patient populations as necessary to assess the actual clinical potential of vPWV.
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Albani S, Mesin L, Roatta S, De Luca A, Giannoni A, Stolfo D, Biava L, Bonino C, Contu L, Pelloni E, Attena E, Russo V, Antonini-Canterin F, Pugliese NR, Gallone G, De Ferrari GM, Sinagra G, Scacciatella P. Inferior Vena Cava Edge Tracking Echocardiography: A Promising Tool with Applications in Multiple Clinical Settings. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:427. [PMID: 35204518 PMCID: PMC8871248 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12020427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultrasound (US)-based measurements of the inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter are widely used to estimate right atrial pressure (RAP) in a variety of clinical settings. However, the correlation with invasively measured RAP along with the reproducibility of US-based IVC measurements is modest at best. In the present manuscript, we discuss the limitations of the current technique to estimate RAP through IVC US assessment and present a new promising tool developed by our research group, the automated IVC edge-to-edge tracking system, which has the potential to improve RAP assessment by transforming the current categorical classification (low, normal, high RAP) in a continuous and precise RAP estimation technique. Finally, we critically evaluate all the clinical settings in which this new tool could improve current practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Albani
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (L.B.); (C.B.); (L.C.); (E.P.); (P.S.)
- Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Department, Division of Cardiology and Postgraduate School in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.D.L.); (D.S.); (G.S.)
| | - Luca Mesin
- Mathematical Biology & Physiology, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy;
| | - Silvestro Roatta
- Integrative Physiology Lab, Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy;
| | - Antonio De Luca
- Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Department, Division of Cardiology and Postgraduate School in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.D.L.); (D.S.); (G.S.)
| | - Alberto Giannoni
- Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56127 Pisa, Italy;
- Fondazione Toscana G. Monasterio, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide Stolfo
- Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Department, Division of Cardiology and Postgraduate School in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.D.L.); (D.S.); (G.S.)
| | - Lorenza Biava
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (L.B.); (C.B.); (L.C.); (E.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Caterina Bonino
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (L.B.); (C.B.); (L.C.); (E.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Laura Contu
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (L.B.); (C.B.); (L.C.); (E.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Elisa Pelloni
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (L.B.); (C.B.); (L.C.); (E.P.); (P.S.)
| | - Emilio Attena
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli-Monaldi Hospital—A.O.R.N. Dei Colli, 80131 Naples, Italy; (E.A.); (V.R.)
| | - Vincenzo Russo
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli-Monaldi Hospital—A.O.R.N. Dei Colli, 80131 Naples, Italy; (E.A.); (V.R.)
| | | | | | - Guglielmo Gallone
- Division of Cardiology, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.D.F.)
| | - Gaetano Maria De Ferrari
- Division of Cardiology, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; (G.G.); (G.M.D.F.)
| | - Gianfranco Sinagra
- Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Department, Division of Cardiology and Postgraduate School in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.D.L.); (D.S.); (G.S.)
| | - Paolo Scacciatella
- Division of Cardiology, Umberto Parini Regional Hospital, 11100 Aosta, Italy; (L.B.); (C.B.); (L.C.); (E.P.); (P.S.)
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