X-ray velocimetry within the ex vivo carotid artery

X-ray velocimetry offers a non-invasive method by which blood flow, blood velocity and wall shear stress can be measured in arteries prone to atherosclerosis. Analytical tools for measuring haemodynamics in artificial arteries have previously been developed and here the first quantification of haemodynamics using X-ray velocimetry in a living mammalian artery under physiologically relevant conditions is demonstrated. Whole blood seeded with a clinically used ultrasound contrast agent was pumped with a steady flow through live carotid arterial tissue from a rat, which was kept alive in a physiological salt solution. Pharmacological agents were then used to produce vascular relaxation. Velocity measurements were acquired with a spatial resolution of 14 µm × 14 µm and at a rate of 5000 acquisitions per second. Subtle velocity changes that occur are readily measurable, demonstrating the ability of X-ray velocimetry to sensitively and accurately measure haemodynamics ex vivo. Future applications and possible limitations of the technique are discussed, which allows for detailed living tissue investigations to be carried out for various disease models, including atherosclerosis and diabetic vasculopathy.