Acoustic radiation force (ARF) generation with a novel dual-frequency intravascular transducer

Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease remain the leading cause of death in the US. Coronary plaque is visualized with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and is typically implemented with high center frequencies (>20 MHz) for superior spatial resolution. Coronary plaque characterization may be improved by implementing elasticity imaging techniques such as acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging using IVUS transducers. In this work we propose to extend ARFI imaging to a novel, dual-frequency small-aperture transducer design that includes a low-frequency 'pushing' element and a high-frequency 'tracking' element. A 40 MHz element (0.6 mm × 0.6 mm) was integrated onto a 5 MHz element (0.6 mm × 3 mm). Both elements of the transducer were fabricated from single crystal PMN-PT and the whole transducer was mounted on a 20 gauge needle tip. ARF-induced motion from the low-frequency element was quantified using optical tracking methods in a translucent phantom (∼8 kPa) containing embedded graphite microparticles. Displacements induced by ARF excitations with 300, 600, 900, and 1200 cycles (5 MHz, 190 V) were captured and compared to baseline. Median (inter-quartile range) peak displacements for 300, 600, 900, and 1200 cycles were 0.33 (0.27 - 0.39) μm, 0.72 (0.62 - 0.87) μm, 1.1 (1.0 - 1.3) μm, and 1.6 (1.43 - 1.75) μm, respectively. In another phantom, 40 MHz pulse/echo RF lines were captured to demonstrate backscatter sensitivity. The results of this study show that ARF generation and high-resolution tracking is feasible on a small-aperture transducer fit for IVUS implementation.