本文討論以三維的影像技術評估肺動脈脈波傳導速率參數，建立與非侵入式 的方式量測動脈順應性之關係以用於分析與評估人體血管特性。將肺動脈影像之 邊緣取樣建立新的三維動脈中心軸後，重建成三維正切容積影像進行新的邊緣圈 選並計算容積，在取得各時序下肺動脈的容積與時間參數後，使用兩種不同肺動 脈脈波傳導速率的方法來計算，結果顯示，利用最大、最小斜率的方式，來定義 計算脈波傳導速率所需的相對距離是較為優異的方式，所得之脈波傳導速率與肺 動脈之血管順應性做相關性分析。肺動脈之血管順應性其壓力變化量是藉由都卜勒心臟超音波來獲得受測者的肺動脈收縮壓，而容積變化量則是使用我們的軟體來計算右心室和肺動脈的容積。利用肺動脈脈波傳導速率來評估右心室順應性(R2 =0.585 , p < 0.001)和肺動脈順應性(R2 = 0.716 , p < 0.001)的相關性皆呈現良 好的負相關趨勢。針對同一觀察者和不同觀察者之間，做肺動脈順應性和脈波傳 導速率的變異係數及相關係數分析，結果顯示在同一觀察者具有良好的變異性與相關性(14.29%、13.12% , R2 = 0.92、R2 = 0.69),而在不同觀察者的數值分別為 11.21%、11.59% , R2 = 0.87、R2 =0.72。結果証實本研究使用自行開發的影像處理 系統，成功利用醫學影像計算出肺動脈脈搏傳導速度，提出了在右心室順應性和 肺動脈順應性之間具有一個良好的正相關性存在(R2 = 0.625 , p<0.001)。

Recent studies have shown that Arterial Compliance (AC) and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) are the common medical method to measure the stiffness of arterial vessels. As for the evaluation of Pulmonary Artery-Pulse Wave Velocity (PA-PWV), a 3D image processing system has been developed to evaluate the area change in a cardio cycle. A semi-automatic 3D image processing technique will be used in extracting the cross section area pulmonary artery throughout the heart beat cycle. During the process, a specified the start and end point of the pulmonary artery will be used for getting the correct position and image. The volume and time relationship of pulmonary artery pulse wave velocity will be established with a ten frame 3D cardio CT image set. The relative wave traveling distance (AD) was using the maximum and minimum slope of volume and time relationship. The Doppler echocardiography will be using to get the Right Ventricular Systolic Pressures (RVSP) and the pressure change. The volume change of right ventricle and pulmonary artery will be also extracted. The relationship of PA-PWV will be compared to the compliance of right ventricle (R2 = 0.585, p < 0.001) and pulmonary artery (R2 = 0.716, p < 0.001). Both correlations to the PA-PWV were negative. Comparison and analysis the coefficient of variation and correlation coefficient of the compliance of pulmonary artery and PA-PWV form the intra- and inter-observer, the result of were 14.29%, 13.12%, R2 = 0.92, R2 = 0.69, and the inter-observer were 11.21%, 11.59%, R2 = 0.87, R2 = 0.72. Coefficients of variation and correlation coefficient were positive. The correlation of the compliance between right ventricle and pulmonary artery was positive (R2 = 0.625, p < 0.001). As the result shown above, the method demonstrated in this paper that the calculation of the PA-PWV was effective and useful.