Prediction of a likely contrast medium behavior

• US 9,271,656 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2014
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Korporaal, Johannes Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): ROZANSKI, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US14/149,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20140206991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0275 using tracers, e.g. dye dilution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/488 involving pre-scan acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method is disclosed for the prediction of a likely contrast medium behavior for a contrast medium-assisted examination of an object under investigation. In an embodiment, the method includes detecting patient-specific blood flow behavior data in a pre-measurement making use of a defined examination protocol and determining an individual impulse response function from the blood flow behavior data; detecting a pre-measured heart rate signal associated with the pre-measurement; and predicting the likely contrast medium behavior based on the individual impulse response function, the pre-measured heart rate signal and a current examination protocol, and a currently detected heart rate signal. A method for activation of a medical imaging system is also disclosed. Also disclosed are a device for predicting a likely contrast medium behavior, a control device with a device of this type for an imaging system, and an imaging system with a control device.

Claims

1. A method for prediction of a likely contrast medium behavior for a contrast medium-assisted examination of an object under investigation, comprising:

detecting, by a processor, during a first time period associated with a pre-measurement based on a defined examination protocol, patient-specific blood flow behavior data;

determining, by the processor, an individual impulse response function based on the blood flow behavior data associated with the pre-measurement;

detecting, by the processor, during the first time period, a pre-measured heart rate signal associated with the pre-measurement;

determining, by the processor, a heartbeat-related individual impulse response function based on the individual impulse response function and the pre-measured heart rate signal such that the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function represents the individual impulse response function depending on a heartbeat count;

detecting, by the processor, during a second time period after the first time period, a currently detected heart rate signal associated with the contrast medium-assisted examination; and

predicting, by the processor, the likely contrast medium behavior based on the heartbeat related individual impulse response function, a current examination protocol, and the currently detected heart rate signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, firstly, a time-related individual impulse response function is determined and then, using the pre-measured heart rate signal, is converted into the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, based on the currently detected heart rate signal and the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function or the time-related individual impulse response function, a time-related corrected individual impulse response function is formed, and the prediction of the likely contrast medium behavior is carried out by combining the corrected impulse response function with the current examination protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, in order to form the corrected individual impulse response function, the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function is scaled with a time scaling factor which is given by an inverse value of a heart rate determined from the currently detected heart rate signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in order to form the corrected individual impulse response function, the scaled individual impulse response function is multiplied by the inverse value of the respective time scaling factor.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein, in order to form the corrected individual impulse response function, the time-related individual impulse response function is scaled with a time scaling factor which is given by a heart rate determined from the pre-measured heart rate signal in relation to a heart rate determined from the currently detected heart rate signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in order to form the corrected individual impulse response function, the scaled individual impulse response function is multiplied by an inverse value of the respective time scaling factor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the blood flow behavior data and the pre-measured heart rate signal are detected time-correlated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a recording of ECG data is made in order to detect the pre-measured heart rate signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a mean heart rate existing during the pre-measurement is derived from the ECG data.

11. A method for activation of a medical imaging system, comprising:

determining a reference time point for the imaging system, based on a start time point of a contrast medium administration and on a likely contrast medium behavior as predicted in claim 1.

12. A device configured to predict a likely contrast medium behavior for a contrast medium-assisted examination of an object under investigation, comprising:

a processor configured to,

detect, during a first time period associated with a pre-measurement based on a defined examination protocol, patient-specific blood flow behavior data,

determine an individual impulse response function based on the blood flow behavior data associated with the pre-measurement,

detect, during the first time period, a pre-measured heart rate signal associated with the pre-measurement,

determine a heartbeat-related individual impulse response function based on the individual impulse response function and the pre-measured heart rate signal such that the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function represents the individual impulse response function depending on a heartbeat count,

detect, during a second time period after the first time period, a currently detected heart rate signal associated with the contrast medium-assisted examination, and

predict, the likely contrast medium behavior based on the heartbeat related individual impulse response function, a current examination protocol, and the currently detected heart rate signal.

13. A control device for an imaging system, comprising:

a device having a processor configured to predict a likely contrast medium behavior by,

detecting or outputting a contrast medium administration start time point,

detecting, during a first time period associated with a pre-measurement based on a defined examination protocol, patient-specific blood flow behavior data,

determining an individual impulse response function based on the blood flow behavior data associated with the pre-measurement,

detecting, during the first time period, a pre-measured heart rate signal associated with the pre-measurement,

determining a heartbeat-related individual impulse response function based on the individual impulse response function and the pre-measured heart rate signal such that the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function represents the individual impulse response function depending on a heartbeat count,

detecting, during a second time period after the first time period, a currently detected heart rate signal associated with the contrast medium-assisted examination,

predicting, the likely contrast medium behavior based on the heartbeat related individual impulse response function, a current examination protocol, and the currently detected heart rate signal, and

determining a reference time point for the imaging system based on the likely contrast medium behavior.

14. An imaging system for creating image data sets from the interior of an object under investigation, comprising:

the control device of claim 13.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer program product, directly loadable into a memory store of a control system of an imaging system, the computer program product including program code segments that when executed by a processor in the control system, configures the processor to,

detect, during a first time period associated with a pre-measurement based on a defined examination protocol, patient-specific blood flow behavior data,

determine an individual impulse response function based on the blood flow behavior data associated with the pre-measurement,

detect, during the first time period, a pre-measured heart rate signal associated with the pre-measurement,

determine a heartbeat-related individual impulse response function based on the individual impulse response function and the pre-measured heart rate signal such that the heartbeat-related individual impulse response function represents the individual impulse response function depending on a heartbeat count,

detect, during a second time period after the first time period, a currently detected heart rate signal associated with a contrast medium-assisted examination, and

predict, a likely contrast medium behavior based on the heartbeat related individual impulse response function, a current examination protocol, and the currently detected heart rate signal.