Deformable bezier curves for young's modulus reconstruction and delineation of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque components

To allow modulus-based tissue characterization of arterial plaques, we have developed an iterative plaque-model- based reconstruction method that reconstructs a Young's modulus (YM) image from a measured radial strain image of a plaque. In comparison with our previous 'Circular plaque model', which consisted of circles, our newly developed 'Bezier plaque model' uses (i) the real vessel wall boundaries and (ii) deformable Bezier curves to allow more accurate delineation of complex plaque components. To illustrate the delineation improvement we used both plaque models to reconstruct a plaque from a radial strain elastogram that was (i) simulated using a histology-traced thin-cap fibroatheroma plaque and (ii) measured with IntraVascular UltraSound (IVUS) elastography from a vessel phantom having a soft plaque.