TY - JOUR

T1 - Ultrasound Transducer Pressure

T2 - An Unexplored Source of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Measurement Error

AU - Ghulam, Qasam Mohammed

AU - Svendsen, Morten Bo Søndergaard

AU - Zielinski, Alexander Hakon

AU - Eiberg, Jonas Peter

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - This study was aimed at quantifying the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) compression phenomenon and assessing the use of a new tool to estimate transducer pressure in vivo. In this cross-sectional study, 47 participants with AAA and a median anterior-to-posterior (AP) AAA diameter of 46 mm (range: 30–76 mm) were included. The majority of the patients were overweight with body mass indexes >25 (33/47, 70%). A standardized ultrasound (US)–compatible gel pad, with a pre-defined thickness (15 mm) and mass (150 g), was interposed between the US transducer and participant to estimate the applied transducer pressure. A firm transducer pressure significantly lowered the median AP diameter from 46.1 mm (range: 29.7–76.3) to 39.4 mm (range: 21.7–67.5) (p = 0.001). The mean diameter bias between light and firm transducer pressure was 6.1 mm (95% confidence interval: 4.9–7.3). The applied transducer pressure varied significantly and could be measured by translating the deformation of a low-tech gel pad interposed between the US transducer and the participant.

AB - This study was aimed at quantifying the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) compression phenomenon and assessing the use of a new tool to estimate transducer pressure in vivo. In this cross-sectional study, 47 participants with AAA and a median anterior-to-posterior (AP) AAA diameter of 46 mm (range: 30–76 mm) were included. The majority of the patients were overweight with body mass indexes >25 (33/47, 70%). A standardized ultrasound (US)–compatible gel pad, with a pre-defined thickness (15 mm) and mass (150 g), was interposed between the US transducer and participant to estimate the applied transducer pressure. A firm transducer pressure significantly lowered the median AP diameter from 46.1 mm (range: 29.7–76.3) to 39.4 mm (range: 21.7–67.5) (p = 0.001). The mean diameter bias between light and firm transducer pressure was 6.1 mm (95% confidence interval: 4.9–7.3). The applied transducer pressure varied significantly and could be measured by translating the deformation of a low-tech gel pad interposed between the US transducer and the participant.

KW - Abdominal aortic aneurysm

KW - error

KW - Measurement

KW - Pressure

KW - Transducer

KW - Ultrasound

U2 - 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.05.003

DO - 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.05.003

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35691732

AN - SCOPUS:85131800460

VL - 48

SP - 1778

EP - 1784

JO - Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

JF - Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

SN - 0301-5629

IS - 9

ER -