Single photon emission computed tomography imaging method

• US 9,517,037 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2015
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elazar A. Bienenstock
• Original Assignee: Elazar A. Bienenstock
• Inventors: Bienenstock, Elazar A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S
• Application Number:
  US14/877,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20160022229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/392 Radioactive markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02028 Determining haemodynamic parameters not otherwise provided for, e.g. cardiac contractility or left ventricular ejection fraction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4884 inducing physiological or psychological stress, e.g. applications for stress testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/486 involving generating temporal series of image data
• 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: A61B 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5264 due to motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 51/02 characterised by the carrier , i.e. characterised by the agent or material covalently linked or complexing the radioactive nucleus
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 51/025 inorganic Tc complexes or compounds

Abstract

A SPECT diagnostic method of performing myocardial perfusion imaging on a patient, consisting of

• • (A) administering a rest radiotracer to the patient while the patient is at rest; then
  • (B) when the rest radiotracer is fixed in a heart of the patient, scanning the heart to obtain rest heart pumping ability information;
  • (C) scanning the heart of the patient to obtain a rest perfusion image;
  • (D) administering a stressing agent to the patient to place the patient'"'"'s heart under stress;
  • (E) scanning the heart of the patient to obtain stress heart pumping ability information; then
  • (F) administering a stress radiotracer while the heart of the patient is under stress; then
  • (G) when the stress radiotracer is fixed in the heart, scanning the heart to obtain a stress perfusion image.

Claims

1. A SPECT diagnostic method of performing myocardial perfusion imaging on a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

(A) administering a stressing agent to the patient to place the patient'"'"'s heart under stress;

then

(B) administering a stress radiotracer while the heart of the patient is under stress;

(C) when the stress radiotracer is fixed in the heart, immediately scanning the heart to obtain a stress perfusion image and stress heart pumping ability information;

(D) administering a rest radiotracer to the patient once the patient is at rest, the rest radiotracer and stress radiotracer comprising the same radiopharmaceutical, with the rest radiotracer being administered at a higher dose than the stress radiotracer;

(E) when the rest radiotracer is fixed in a heart of the patient, scanning the heart to obtain rest heart pumping ability information and a rest perfusion image;

(F) subtracting the stress perfusion image from the rest perfusion image to obtain a refined rest perfusion image.

2. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rest and stress radiotracers both comprise a Technetium-based radiopharmaceutical.

3. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said step (B) comprises administering 5 mCi or less of Technetium to the patient.

4. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rest and stress radiotracers both comprise Thallium.

5. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stressing agent comprises a stress pharmaceutical which is selected from the group consisting of dipyridamole, dobutamine, adenosine, and regadenosone.

6. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stressing agent comprises a non-pharmaceutical stressing agent.

7. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the non-pharmaceutical stressing agent is selected from the group consisting of cold presser testing, mental stress, bicycle exercise, and handgrip exercise.

8. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the patient remains in a scanning position from step (C) through step (E) inclusive.

9. The SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the patient remains in a scanning position from step (C) through step (E) inclusive.