Method and apparatus for displaying information obtained by electrical impedance tomography data

• US 20030216664A1
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Timpel Medical B.V.
• Original Assignee: Marcelo B.P. Amato, Stephan Bohm
• Inventors: Suarez, Fernando Sipmann
• Granted Patent: US 7,435,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0536 Impedance imaging, e.g. by tomography

Abstract

The invention refers to a method and an apparatus for displaying information obtained by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data from a part of a patient'"'"'s body. In order to provide a method for displaying information which can be immediately used in order to determine a specific pathological condition of said part, a method according to the invention performs te following steps: processing the EIT data with a plurality of predetermined processing modes; determining specific pathological conditions of said part in accordance with the results of the predetermined processing modes; selecting a screen mode from a plurality of predetermined screen modes in accordance with the specific pathological conditions; and displaying the EIT data in accordance with the selected screen modes.

Claims

1. Method for displaying information obtained by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data from a part of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

processing the EIT data with a plurality of predetermined processing modes;

automatically selecting at least one screen mode from a plurality of predetermined screen modes in accordance with the results of the predetermined processing modes; and

automatically displaying the EIT data in accordance with the selected screen modes.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the screen mode is updated on demand of a user.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the displayed EIT data are updated in real time.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of processing the EIT data is carried out with a subcombination of the predetermined processing modes, wherein the subcombination is automatically selected on the basis of an estimated result.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said part to be examined is a patient'"'"'s lung.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein a relative mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean variation of impedance changes due to ventilation.

7. Method according to claim 5, wherein a phase-lag mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean phase lag of impedance changes with regard to ventilation changes.

8. Method according to claim 5, wherein a perfusion mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean variation of impedance changes due to lung perfusion.

9. Method according to claim 5, wherein an absolute mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean absolute impedance.

10. Method according to claims 6 and 8, wherein a perfusion ratio mode is implemented which calculates the ratio of the results of the relative mode and the perfusion mode and which yields as a result the ventilation/perfusion ratio.

11. Method according to claim 5, wherein the EIT data are calculated on the basis of a running data window.

12. Method according to claim 5, wherein the EIT data are calculated for a certain region of interest of the lung.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein a first result is determined, if the relative mode yields a low result, the perfusion mode yields a low result and the absolute mode yields a low result.

14. Method according to claim 12, wherein a second result is determined, if the relative mode yields a normal result, the perfusion yields a low result and the absolute mode yields a normal result.

15. Method according to claim 12, wherein a third result is determined, if the relative mode yields a low result, the perfusion mode yields a high result and the absolute mode yields a low result.

16. Method according to claim 12, wherein a fourth result is determined, if the relative mode yields a low result, the perfusion mode yields a low result and the absolute mode yields a high result.

17. Method according to claim 12, wherein a fifth result is determined, if the relative mode yields a high result, the phase-lag yields a very high result and the absolute mode yields an unsteady result.

18. Method according to claim 12, wherein a sixth result is determined, it the relative mode yields a very low result, the phase-lag mode yields a very high result and the absolute mode yields an unsteady result.

19. Method according to claim 12, wherein a seventh result is determined, if the relative mode yields a very low result, the phase-lag mode yields an unsteady result and the absolute mode a very low result,

consists of graphic elements which are pre-stored in a data store as graphic patterns and which fetched from the data store as soon as the corresponding screen mode is selected.

21. Apparatus for displaying information obtained by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data from a part of a patient'"'"'s body, comprising:

processing means for processing the EIT data with a plurality of predetermined processing modes;

selecting means for automatically selecting at least one screen mode from a plurality of predetermined screen modes in accordance with the results of the processing means; and

displaying means for automatically displaying the EIT data in accordance with the selected screen modes.

22. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the selecting means is triggered on demand by a user for updating the screen mode.

23. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the displayed EIT data are updated in real time.

24. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the processing means carries out the processing with a subcombination of the predetermined processing modes, wherein the subcombination is automatically selected on the basis of an estimated result.

25. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said part to be examined is a patient'"'"'s lung.

26. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a relative mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean variation of impedance changes due to ventilation.

27. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a phase-lag mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean phase lag of impedance changes with regard to ventilation changes.

28. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a perfusion mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean variation of impedance changes due to lung perfusion.

29. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein an absolute mode is implemented as a predetermined processing mode which yields as a result the mean absolute impedance.

30. Apparatus according to claims 26 and 28, wherein a perfusion ratio mode is implemented which calculates the ratio of the results of the relative mode and the perfusion mode and which yields as a result the ventilation/perfusion ratio.

31. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the EIT data are calculated on the basis of a running data window.

32. Apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the EIT data are calculated for a certain region of interest of the lung.

33. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a first result is determined, it the relative mode yields a low result, the perfusion mode yields a low result and the absolute mode yields a low result.

34. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a second result is determined, if the relative mode yields a normal result, the perfusion yields a low result and the absolute mode yields a normal result.

35. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a third result is determined, if the relative mode yields a low result, the perfusion mode yields a high result and the absolute mode yields a low result.

36. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a fourth result is determined, if the relative mode yields a low result, the perfusion mode yields a low result and the absolute mode yields a high result.

37. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a fifth result is determined, if the relative mode yields a high result, the phase-lag yields a very high result and the absolute mode yields an unsteady result.

38. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a sixth result is determined, if the relative mode yields a very low result, the phase-lag mode yields a very high result and the absolute mode yields an unsteady result.

39. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a seventh result is determined, if the relative mode yields a very low result, the phase-lag mode yields an unsteady result and the absolute mode a very low result.

40. Apparatus according to claim 32, wherein a screen mode consists of graphic elements which are pre-stored in a data store as graphic patterns and which are fetched from the data store as soon as the corresponding screen mode is selected.