SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR-DYNAMICS CORRELATED IMAGING

• US 20170224288A1
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Trustees of Dartmounth College (Dartmouth College)
• Original Assignee: The Trustees of Dartmounth College (Dartmouth College)
• Inventors: HALTER, Ryan J., HARTOV, Alexander, PAULSEN, Keith D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,206,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0261 using optical means, e.g. infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0536 Impedance imaging, e.g. by tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7289 Retrospective gating, i.e. associating measured signals or images with a physiological event after the actual measurement or image acquisition, e.g. by simultaneously recording an additional physiological signal during the measurement or image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/486 involving generating temporal series of image data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/487 involving fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• 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 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 : combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5288 : involving retrospective matching to a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30048 : Heart; Cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30068 : Mammography; Breast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0016 : involving temporal comparison

Abstract

A method for cardiovascular-dynamics correlated imaging includes receiving a time series of images of at least a portion of a patient, receiving a time series of cardiovascular data for the patient, evaluating correlation between the time series of images and the time series of cardiovascular data, and determining a property of the at least a portion of a patient, based upon the correlation. A system for cardiovascular-dynamics correlated imaging includes a processing device having: a processor, a memory communicatively coupled therewith, and a correlation module including machine-readable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, perform the function of correlating a time series of images of at least a portion of a patient with a time series of cardiovascular data of the patient to determine a property of the at least a portion of a patient.

Claims

1. A method for cardiovascular-dynamics correlated imaging, comprising:

receiving a time series of images of at least a portion of a patient;

receiving a time series of cardiovascular data for the patient;

evaluating correlation between the time series of images and the time series of cardiovascular data;

identifying vascularized tissue of the patient based upon the correlation; and

determining a property of the patient, relating to the vascularized tissue, based upon the correlation.

3. The method of claim 1, the step of receiving a time series of images comprising receiving a time series of electrical impedance tomography images.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the time series of images as a time series of electrical impedance tomography images.

12. The method of claim 1, the step of receiving a time series of cardiovascular data comprising receiving a time series of pulse-oximetry data.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising

generating the time series of images at a first series of times;

recording the time series of cardiovascular data at a second series of times; and

in the step of evaluating correlation, resampling at least one of the time series of images and the time series of cardiovascular data to synchronize the first series of times and the second series of times.

17. The method of claim 1, the step of evaluating correlation comprising analyzing correlation between the time series of images and heartbeat cycles identified from the time series of cardiovascular data.

18. The method of claim 17, the step of evaluating correlation comprising:

detecting at least one cardiovascular signature in the time series of cardiovascular data to identify at least one heartbeat cycle;

referencing the time series of images to timing of the at least one heartbeat cycle; and

analyzing the time series of images as a function of timing within a heartbeat cycle.

19. The method of claim 18, the step of referencing comprising, if heartbeat rate is not constant, resampling the time series of cardiovascular data, and in accordance therewith the time series of images, to emulate a constant heartbeat rate.

20. The method of claim 17, the step of analyzing correlation comprising:

extracting, from the time series of images, a respective time series of position sensitive signals each representing same spatial region of interest of the time series of images; and

analyzing the time series of position sensitive signals as a function of timing within heartbeat cycles.

21. The method of claim 20, the step of analyzing the time series of position sensitive signals comprising determining one or more parameters indicative of correlation between the time series of position sensitive signals and the time series of cardiovascular data, the time series of signals and the time series of cardiovascular data being referenced to the heartbeat cycles.

24. The method of claim 21, the step of determining one or more parameters indicative of correlation comprising:

calculating temporal correlation coefficient as a function of phase shift between the time series of position sensitive signals and the time series of cardiovascular data; and

determining maximum value of the temporal correlation coefficient as a function of the phase shift.

25. The method of claim 21, the step of determining one or more parameters indicative of correlation comprising:

calculating temporal correlation coefficient as a function of phase shift between the time series of position sensitive signals and the time series of cardiovascular data; and

determining phase shift at which the temporal correlation coefficient as a function of the phase shift attains maximum value.

26. The method of claim 21, the step of determining one or more parameters indicative of correlation comprising at least one of (a) comparing temporal distributions of the time series of position sensitive signals and the time series of cardiovascular data and (b) comparing spectral distributions of the time series of position sensitive signals and the time series of cardiovascular data.

27. The method of claim 20, the step of analyzing the time series of position sensitive signals comprising evaluating spectral distribution of the time series of position sensitive signals as a function of timing within heartbeat cycles.

30. The method of claim 1, the time series of images being a time series of first-type images, the method further comprising overlaying at least a portion of the time series of first-type images on a portion of a time series of second-type images meeting criteria of correlation with the time series of cardiovascular data, the second-type images being of a second portion of the patient and of type different from the first-type images.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating at least one correlation-indicating image indicating correlation between the time series of images and the time series of cardiovascular data.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising overlaying the at least one correlation-indicating image on the time series of images.

35. The method of claim 33, the time series of images being a time series of first-type images, the method further comprising:

generating a time series of second-type images of a second portion of the patient having a spatial overlap with the at least a portion of a patient, the second-type images having type different from the first-type images; and

overlaying the at least one correlation-indicating image on the time series of second-type images.

39. The method of claim 1, the property being presence or non-presence of vascularized cancer tissue in the at least a portion of a patient.

41. The method of claim 1, the property being amount or type of vascularized tissue in the at least a portion of a patient.

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