Method of computed tomography imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10667769-B2
Application number	US-201615770773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2016
Priority date	Nov 10, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of Computed Tomography imaging comprising: a. Performing a single acquisition of image data from at least two contrast agents into a blood vessel network, a first contrast agent among said at least two contrast agents having been in said blood vessel network for a longer time than a second contrast agent among said at least two contrast agents, b. Processing said image data using K-Edge detection and/or iodine delineation to separate data associated with each contrast agents in order to obtain a concentration map of each contrast agent, c. Determining from said image data a first part of the blood vessel network comprising both the first contrast agent and the second contrast agent, and a second part of the blood vessel network comprising only the first contrast agent, d. Calculating a partial blood volume map of the first part of the blood vessel network based on the total amount of second contrast agent and on the concentration map of the second contrast agent, e. Calculating a partial blood volume map of the second part of the blood vessel network based on the total amount of first contrast agent, on the concentration map of the first contrast agent and on the partial blood volume map of the first part of the blood vessel network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of Computed Tomography imaging, comprising:
performing a single acquisition of image data from at least two contrast agents into a blood vessel network, a first contrast agent among said at least two contrast agents having been in said blood vessel network for a longer time than a second contrast agent among said at least two contrast agents;
processing said image data using K-Edge detection and/or iodine delineation to separate data associated with each contrast agents in order to obtain a concentration map of each contrast agent;
determining from said image data a first part of the blood vessel network comprising both the first contrast agent and the second contrast agent, and a second part of the blood vessel network comprising only the first contrast agent;
calculating a partial blood volume map of the first part of the blood vessel network based on the second contrast agent and on the concentration map of the second contrast agent; and,
calculating a partial blood volume map of the second part of the blood vessel network based on the first contrast agent, on the concentration map of the first contrast agent and on the partial blood volume map of the first part of the blood vessel network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , said blood vessel network being an hepatic blood vessel network, comprising an arterial subnetwork, and a portal subnetwork.

3. The method according to claim 2 , said first part of the blood vessel network comprising the arterial subnetwork.

4. The method according to claim 2 , said second part of the blood vessel network comprising the portal subnetwork.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising using both K-edge detection and iodine delineation to separate the contrast agents.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising using only K-edge detection to separate the contrast agents.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the number of said at least two contrast agents is exactly two.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising locating hypervascularized zones.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising locating hypovascularized zones.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a preparation before segmental resection of a liver.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising storing the partial blood volume map of the first part of the blood vessel network and the partial blood volume map of the second part of the blood vessel network into a storage device.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising generating a database out of the partial blood volume maps stored in said storage device.

13. A Computed Tomography device configured to implement a method according to claim 1 , comprising:
a medical x-ray scanner equipped with photon counting detector technology providing sufficient energy resolution to enable K-edge imaging for at least one K-edge material;
means for injecting at least two contrast materials consecutively into the patient;
a reconstruction unit configured to generate two separate contrast agents maps/images based on K-edge or Iodine delineation; and
means for calculating and visualizing arterial and/or portal partial blood volume maps.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Proksa Roland
• Daerr Heiner
• Muenzel Daniela
• Noel Peter

Classifications

• A61B6/504

  for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography · CPC title

• A61B6/50

  specially adapted for specific body parts; specially adapted for specific clinical applications · CPC title

• A61B6/481

  involving the use of contrast agents · CPC title

• A61B6/486

  involving generating temporal series of image data · CPC title

• A61B6/032 Primary

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title