Method for imaging lesion and lesion imaging system

• US 20060235297A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medrad Incorporated (Bayer AG)
• Original Assignee: Medrad Incorporated (Bayer AG)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yasushi
• Application Number:
  US11/389,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235297A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media

Abstract

The invention provides a method for imaging a lesion area that includes a process of infusing a small amount of contrast medium from the syringe for a time Tn and using an image capturing device to measure a change in blood contrast medium concentration, a process of summing data that are based on the change in blood contrast medium concentration during the time Tn over a period of a required infusion time Tc for an amount of contrast medium necessary for diagnosis, to predict the contrast effect during the required infusion time Tc, and a process of displaying the predicted contrast effect and urging determination of whether or not to change the infusion conditions of the contrast medium.

Claims

1. A lesion-imaging method using a system furnished with a syringe through which contrast medium is introduced, a control unit for operating the syringe to control contrast-medium infusion quantity, and a device for capturing images of a lesion area in a patient into whom contrast medium has been infused through the syringe, the method comprising:

a step of infusing a small amount of contrast medium from the syringe for a time T_n, and, using the image-capturing device, measuring changes in blood contrast-medium concentration in the patient'"'"'s lesion area;

a step of summing, over a period T_c, required to infuse a diagnostic-effective amount of contrast medium, data based on the change in blood contrast-medium concentration during the time T_n, to predict contrast effect for the period T_c; and

a step of displaying the predicted contrast effect and prompting determination of whether to change the contrast-medium infusion conditions.

2. The lesion-imaging method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of infusing saline after the small amount of contrast medium has been infused from the syringe.

3. A legion imaging system comprising a syringe through which contrast medium is introduced, a control unit for controlling the quantity of contrast medium infused through the syringe, and a device for capturing images of a lesion area in a patient into whom contrast medium has been infused through the syringe, wherein the control unit stores a program for:

infusing a small amount of contrast medium from the syringe for a time T_n;

using the image-capturing device, measuring changes in blood contrast-medium concentration;

summing, over a period T_c, required to infuse a diagnostic-effective amount of contrast medium, data based on the change in blood contrast-medium concentration during the time T_n, to predict contrast effect for the period T_c;

displaying the predicted contrast effect and prompting determination of whether to change the contrast-medium infusion conditions.