METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING ACTIVITY OF AN ORGAN AND USES THEREOF

• US 20120321160A1
• Filed: 06/12/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantitative Imaging, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quantitative Imaging, Inc.
• Inventors: Carroll, Robert G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10104 Positron emission tomography [PET]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30016 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0014 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 involving thresholding

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for imaging activity of an organ of a subject for diagnosis and prognosis of pathology or injury to the organ, where unaffected portions of the organ are used as a reference for assessing activity of afflicted areas of the organ.

Claims

1. A method for assessing the activity of an organ in a subject with the aid of a digital computer comprising:

a) accessing by one or more computers a quantitative three-dimensional image of the organ that is represented as voxels, wherein each voxel contains information about the activity of a portion of the organ;

b) calculating by the one or more computers a mean of the activity represented by the voxels, wherein voxels representing values at upper and lower extremes are excluded from calculation of the mean;

c) calculating by the one or more computers a standard deviation of the mean obtained in step b), wherein voxels representing activity above a certain standard deviation of the mean indicate areas of the organ having increased activity and wherein voxels representing activity below a certain standard deviation of the mean indicate areas of the organ having reduced activity; and

d) outputting by the one or more computers to an output device a representation of the organ showing areas of the organ having increased activity and/or reduced activity.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising outputting by the one or more computers to the output device a representation of the organ showing areas of the organ having neither increased activity and/or reduced activity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in step b) voxels are excluded from the calculation of the mean if the voxels represent values at the upper and lower 5% of the values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein standard deviation (SD) is calculated in 0.1 SD units between 3.0 SD units below the mean to 3.0 SD units above the mean.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein voxels representing activity above 1.5 SD units above the mean indicate areas of the organ having increased activity and wherein voxels representing activity below 1.5 SD units below the mean indicate areas of the organ having reduced activity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the organ is at least one selected from the group consisting of brain, heart, lung, kidney, liver, pancreas, bladder, salivary glands, esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, intestines, colon, rectum, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal gland, ureter, bladder, urethra, tonsils, adenoids, thymus, spleen, ovary, fallopian tube, uterus, vagina, mammary gland, testes, vas deferens, seminal vesicle, prostate, penis, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi and lung.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein voxels from the one side of an organ are compared with corresponding voxels from an opposite side of the same organ.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein voxels from an organ on one side of the body are compared with corresponding voxels from the corresponding organ on the opposite side of the body.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the organ is obtained using positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance imaging of any form, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) magnetic source imaging or optical imaging.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein three dimensional imaging of the organ is obtained using positron emission tomography (PET) in connection with a computed tomography (CT) X-ray scan.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein three dimensional imaging of the organ is obtained using positron emission tomography (PET) in connection with any magnetic resonance scan.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein areas of increased or reduced activity in the organ indicate a disease, an injury, a response to an injury, or functional changes in areas that have been disconnected from the remainder of the brain or spinal cord because of injury to connective structures.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the disease or injury is a tumor, stroke, infection, demyelinating disease, degenerative disease, dementia, ischemia, traumatic injury, shock wave injury, or primary or metastatic cancer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the organ is the brain and areas of reduced activity in the organ represent diffuse axonal injury.

15. The method of claim 1 comprising determining a ratio of a number of voxels showing increased activity to a number of voxels showing decreased activity within an area of disease or injury.

16. The method of claim 1 comprising determining a ratio of a number of voxels showing increased activity to a number of voxels showing decreased activity at a border region between an area of disease or injury and normal tissue.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein an image of the organ is obtained and analyzed at a plurality of time points.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein images at different time points are used to evaluate effectiveness of a course of treatment of a subject or to evaluate progression of disease.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein an image of the brain is obtained and analyzed at a plurality of time points during neurological surgery or during neurological intensive care.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein an image of the heart is obtained and analyzed at a plurality of time points during cardiac surgery, during cardiac interventional procedures, or during cardiac intensive care.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein voxels within an area of disease or injury in the organ are analyzed at a plurality of time points, and a ratio of a number of voxels within the area showing increased activity over time to a number of voxels within the area showing decreased activity over time is a measure of whether the disease or injury is improving or not improving.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the disease is cancer and wherein a decrease in the ratio of the number of voxels within the area of disease showing increased activity over time to the number of voxels within the area of disease showing decreased activity over time is indicative of a favorable outcome.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the disease is reduced blood flow to the area and wherein an increase in the ratio of the number of voxels within the area showing increased activity over time to the number of voxels within the area showing decreased activity over time is indicative of a favorable outcome.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is an animal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the subject is a human.

26. The method of claim 1, which comprises imaging the subject to obtain an image of the organ.