Effect of Non-Uniform Tissue Configuration on Conductance Catheter Measurement for Arterial Lumen Sizing

A novel approach of two bolus injections of saline solutions has been proposed for conductance catheter measurement of cross-sectional area (CSA) and parallel conductance for medium size arteries [1–2]. The parallel conductance or current leakage through surrounding tissue is dependent on how differently the combined configuration of lumen, surrounding tissue, and conductance catheter forms an electric field. Arteries have a variety of surrounding tissue geometries and electrical conductivities depending on their anatomic situations. Specifically, coronary/peripheral arteries are often characterized by their superficial anatomic positions so that surrounding tissue has asymmetric configurations. Such notions highlight the need for addressing the impact of anatomically relevant tissue properties on the performance of conductance catheter measurement. In the present study, we computationally probe how asymmetric surrounding tissue thickness and/or inhomogeneous/anisotropic electric conductivity of tissue can modulate the electric field and hence accuracy of CSA measurement for a medium size artery.