CHEMICAL LIQUID INJECTOR AND CT APPARATUS

• US 20130041257A1
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nemoto Kyorindo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nemoto Kyorindo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nemoto, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/432
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/03 Computed tomography [CT] echo-tomography A61B8/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4494 Means for identifying the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16827 controlling delivery of multiple fluids, e.g. sequencing, mixing or via separate flow-paths infusion of multiple fluids without using a controller A61M5/1407
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/19 having more than one chamber , e.g. including a manifold coupling two parallelly aligned syringes through separate channels to a common discharge assembly surgical glue applicators A61B17/00491

Abstract

Chemical liquid injector 100 includes two piston driving mechanisms 130 each moving a piston of a syringe forward, main injection condition determining section 171 determining injection conditions for a chemical liquid in main injection, test injection condition determining section 172 determining injection conditions for the chemical liquid in test injection performed prior to the main injection to inject a smaller injection amount of the chemical liquid than that in the main injection, and control section 161 creating an injection protocol in accordance with the injection conditions determined by test injection condition determining section 171 and main injection condition determining section 172 such that the chemical liquid is injected in a series of operations in which the test injection is performed, then a preset injection suspension time is present, and subsequently the main injection is performed, and further controlling operation of piston driving mechanisms 130 in accordance with the injection protocol.

Claims

1. A chemical liquid injector on which at least one syringe having a cylinder and a piston is mounted, the chemical liquid injector injecting a chemical liquid in the syringe by moving the piston of the mounted syringe forward, comprising:

at least one piston driving mechanism driven to move the piston of the mounted syringe forward;

a main injection condition determining section determining an injection condition for the chemical liquid in main injection;

a test injection condition determining section determining an injection condition for the chemical liquid in test injection performed prior to the main injection, a smaller injection amount of the chemical liquid being injected in the test injection than an injection amount in the main injection; and

a control section creating an injection protocol in accordance with the injection conditions determined by the test injection condition determining section and the main injection condition determining section such that the chemical liquid is injected in a series of operations in which the test injection is performed, then a preset injection suspension time is present, and subsequently the main injection is performed, and the control section further controls operation of the piston driving mechanism in accordance with the injection protocol.

2. The chemical liquid injector according to claim 1, wherein the syringe injecting a contrast medium as the chemical liquid is mounted.

3. The chemical liquid injector according to claim 2, wherein the main injection condition determining section has a first chemical liquid injection amount calculating section calculating an injection amount of the contrast medium in the main injection based on a weight of a patient to be injected with the contrast medium, and a first chemical liquid injection rate calculating section calculating an injection rate of the contrast medium in the main injection from the injection amount of the contrast medium calculated by the first chemical liquid injection amount calculating section and a preset injection time, and

the test injection condition determining section has a first chemical liquid injection amount calculating section calculating an injection amount of the contrast medium in the test injection from the injection rate calculated by the first chemical liquid injection rate determining section and a preset injection time.

4. The chemical liquid injector according to claim 3, wherein the syringe injecting physiological saline as the chemical liquid is further mounted,

the piston driving mechanism comprises two piston driving mechanisms driven individually in association with the syringe injecting the contrast medium and the syringe injecting the physiological saline,

the main injection condition determining section further includes a second chemical liquid injection amount calculating section calculating an injection amount of the physiological saline in the main injection from the injection rate calculated by the first chemical liquid injection rate calculating section and a preset injection time,

the test injection condition determining section further includes a second chemical liquid injection amount calculating section calculating an injection amount of the physiological saline in the test injection from the injection rate calculated by the first chemical liquid injection rate calculating section of the main injection condition determining section and a preset injection time, and

the control section controls operation of the two piston driving mechanisms such that the physiological saline is injected immediately after the injection of the contrast medium in accordance with the injection conditions determined by the test injection condition determining section and the main injection condition determining section in the test injection and the main injection.

5. The chemical liquid injector according to claim 1, further comprising a display device,

wherein the control section displays the injection protocol created in accordance with the injection conditions determined by the test injection condition determining section and the main injection condition determining section in one screen on the display device.

6. A CT apparatus used with the chemical liquid injector according to claim 2 to obtain a CT image of the patient, comprising:

an imaging unit applying an X ray to the patient and collecting data of projection of the X ray transmitted through the patient; and

an imaging control unit controlling operation of the imaging unit, reconstructing the data of projection of the X ray collected by the imaging unit to produce CT image data, and measuring a CT value from the produced CT image data,

wherein the imaging control unit monitors the CT value through bolus tracking, and causes the imaging unit to perform a main scan after a preset scan suspension time by using a point immediately after the CT value passes a peak value as a trigger.

7. The CT apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the scan suspension time is set in association with an injection suspension time in the chemical liquid injector.