Ultrasound scattering by aggregated red blood cells in patients with diabetes

Purpose: To develop methods for noninvasively and quantitatively measuring blood glucose levels. Methods: In the present study, we evaluated the degree of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation at a low shear rate robustly by introducing two new parameters determined from changes in the scattering power spectrum of the echoes from the intravascular lumen before and after cessation of blood flow. We also considered the clinical significance of these parameters and the change in sizes estimated by the conventional method by comparing them with the blood glucose level obtained just before the ultrasonic measurements. We performed the measurements in one healthy subject and 11 diabetic patients. Results: A correlation was found between one of the proposed parameters and the blood glucose level. However, the p value was not very high, and one of the reasons for the decline of the correlation will be that some factors other than blood glucose also affect RBC aggregation. Conclusion: The proposed method has potential for clinical application after elucidation of the various factors affecting RBC aggregation.