New imaging technology uses ultrasound to diagnose cardiovascular disease

A new ultrasound-based medical imaging innovation devised by US researchers could pave the way for better diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in future.

Developed by Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, the new system – which is close to commercialisation – takes precise 3D images of plaques lining arteries and can identify deposits that are likely to rupture and cause heart attacks.

It functions by measuring ultrasound signals from molecules exposed to a fast-pulsing laser, thus revealing the presence of carbon-hydrogen bonds making up lipid molecules in arterial plaques that cause heart disease.

Given that research in the area is held back by the inability to perform high-speed imaging, this new innovation – which is much faster than existing options – could be a vital new tool.

Study co-author Michael Sturek, professor and chair of the department of cellular and integrative physiology at Indiana University School of Medicine, said: "This allows us to see the exact nature of plaque formation in the walls of arteries so we can define whether plaque is going to rupture."

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death both in the UK and worldwide, causing around 73,000 deaths in Britain each year.