Cardiovascular imaging and functional analysis system

• US 6,671,541 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2000
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: North Coast Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Neomed Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Umeno, Marc M., Majewski, Stanislaw, Bishop, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pass, Barry
• Application Number:
  US09/726,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 600/436, 600/431, 600/407, 250/367, 250/370, 250/366
• US Class Current: 600/436
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02755 Radioactive tracers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT

Abstract

A cardiovascular imaging and functional analysis system and method is disclosed, wherein a dedicated fast, sensitive, compact and economical imaging gamma camera system that is especially suited for heart imaging and functional analysis is employed. The cardiovascular imaging and functional analysis system of the present invention can be used as a dedicated nuclear cardiology small field of view imaging camera. The disclosed cardiovascular imaging system and method has the advantages of being able to image physiology, while offering an inexpensive and portable hardware, unlike MRI, CT, and echocardiography systems.

The cardiovascular imaging system of the invention employs a basic modular design suitable for cardiac imaging with one of several radionucleide tracers. The detector can be positioned in close proximity to the chest and heart from several different projections, making it possible rapidly to accumulate data for first-pass analysis, positron imaging, quantitative stress perfusion, and multi-gated equilibrium pooled blood (MUGA) tests..

In a preferred embodiment, the Cardiovascular Non-Invasive Screening Probe system can perform a novel diagnostic screening test for potential victims of coronary artery disease. The system provides a rapid, inexpensive preliminary indication of coronary occlusive disease by measuring the activity of emitted particles from an injected bolus of radioactive tracer. Ratios of this activity with the time progression of the injected bolus of radioactive tracer are used to perform diagnosis of the coronary patency (artery disease).

Claims

1. A gamma imager, comprising:

an array of scintillators producing a scintillator output;

an array of compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes forming a single detector head for receiving the scintillator output, the array of photomultiplier tubes producing a photomultiplier output; and

electronic circuitry for receiving the photomultiplier output;

wherein, the array of scintillators, the array of photomultiplier the gamma imager with a rate capability greater than 100 kHz.

2. The imager of claim 1, wherein the array of compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes comprises a plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

3. The imager of claim 1, wherein the array of compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes comprises a flat photomultiplier array.

4. The gamma imager of claim 1, further comprising a collimator for restricting gamma radiation incident on the array of scintillators, the collimator having a plurality of openings about 5 mm in diameter or larger.

5. The gamma imager of claim 1, wherein the array of scintillators has an area no greater than about 25 cm².

6. The gamma imager of claim 1, wherein the array of scintillators has a pixel size from about 5 mm to about 10 mm.

7. A system comprising:

a first gamma probe; and

a second gamma probe;

wherein the first gamma probe and the second gamma probe each include;

a housing having an open end;

a collimator located at the open end of the housing;

a scintillator array located within the housing, wherein the scintillator array produces an output;

at least one photomultiplier tube module located within the housing for receiving the scintillator array output; and

electronic circuitry coupled to the at least one photomultiplier tube module;

wherein, with reference to a patient lying on his back, the first gamma probe can be placed against the patient'"'"'s body over the patient'"'"'chest wall over the aorta in a vertical left-to-right plane perpendicular to horizontal side-to-side plane;

and the second gamma probe can be simultaneously placed against the patient'"'"'s body and tilted 30 degrees toward the patient'"'"'s left side in a vertical side-to-side plane and 10 degrees toward the patient'"'"'s feet in a head-to-toe plane relative to the first gamma probe.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a support gantry/harness for supporting the first gamma probe and the second gamma probe, wherein the support gantry/harness provides co-registration of the first gamma probe and the second gamma probe.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

control electronics for controlling the first gamma probe and the second gamma probe;

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the first gamma probe and the second gamma probe;

a memory module coupled to the analog-to-digital converter; and

a central processing unit coupled to the memory module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the central processing unit processes a first set of heart information received from the first gamma probe and a second set of heart information received from the second gamma probe using at least one algorithm.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a third gamma probe, wherein the third gamma probe receives a third set of heart information;

wherein the third gamma probe is coupled to the analog-to-digital converter;

wherein the central processing unit processes the third set of received heart information in parallel with the processing of the first set of received heart information and the second set of received heart information; and

wherein the third gamma probe includes;

a housing having an open end;

a collimator located at the open end of the housing;

a scintillator array located within the housing, the collimator being located between the scintillator array and the open end of the housing, wherein the scintillator array produces an output;

at least one photomultiplier tube module located within the housing for receiving the scintillator array output; and

electronic circuitry coupled to the at least one photomultiplier tube module.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the two probes are mounted on a gantry.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the photomultiplier tube for at least one of the probes is a compact position sensitive photomultiplier tube.

14. The system of claim 7 wherein the photomultiplier tubes are compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the probes both have a rate capability greater than about 100 kHz.

16. The system of claim 7 wherein the scintillator array for one of the probes has an area no greater than about 25 cm².

17. The system of claim 7 wherein the system is adopted to perform a screening procedure based on coronary transit time measurements.

18. The system of claim 7 wherein the scintillator array for one of the probes has a pixel size from about 3 mm to about 20 mm.

19. The system of claim 7 wherein the collimator for one of the probes has opening about 5 mm in diameter or larger.

20. The system of claim 7 wherein the collimator for one of the probes has a single bore.

21. A gamma imager, comprising:

an array of scintillators producing a scintillator output;

an array of compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes forming a single detector head for receiving the scintillator output, the array of photomultiplier tubes producing a photomultiplier output;

electronic circuitry for receiving the photomultiplier output; and

a collimator for restricting gamma radiation incident on the array of scintillators;

wherein the collimator has a plurality of openings about 5 mm in diameter or larger.

22. The gamma imager of claim 21, wherein the array of scintillators has an area no greater than about 25 cm².

23. The gamma imager of claim 21, wherein the array of scintillators has a pixel size from about 5 mm to about 10 mm.

24. A system comprising:

a first gamma probe; and

a second gamma probe;

wherein the first gamma probe and the second gamma probe each include;

a housing having an open end;

a collimator located at the open end of the housing;

a scintillator array located within the housing, wherein the scintillator array produces an output;

at least one photomultiplier tube module located within the housing for receiving the scintillator array output; and

electronic circuitry coupled to the at least one photomultiplier tube module;

wherein the two probes can be directed at a single target with the direction from the first probe to the target at a right angle to the direction from the second probe to the target, the locations of the target and the two probes providing three points that define a plane; and

while one probe remains in fixed position, the other probe can be moved out of the plane while remaining directed at the target.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the two probes are mounted on a gantry.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the photomultiplier tube for at least one of the probes is a compact position sensitive photomultiplier tube.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the photomultiplier tubes are compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the probes both have a rate capability greater than about 100 kHz.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein the scintillator array for one of the probes has an area no greater than about 25 cm².

30. The system of claim 24 wherein the system is dedicated to a screening procedure based on coronary transit time measurements.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the scintillator array for one of the probes has a pixel size from about 3 mm to about 20 mm.

32. The system of claim 24 wherein the collimator for one of the probes has opening about 5 mm in diameter or larger.

33. The system of claim 24 wherein the collimator for one of the probes has a single bore.

34. A gamma imager, comprising:

an array of scintillators producing a scintillator output;

an array of compact position sensitive photomultiplier tubes forming a single detector head for receiving the scintillator output, the array of photomultiplier tubes producing a photomultiplier output; and

electronic circuitry for receiving the photomultiplier output;

wherein the gamma imager is of a size whereby two of the gamma imagers, a first and a second, can be placed simultaneously as follows;

with reference to a patient lying on his back, the first gamma imager against the patient'"'"'s body over the patient'"'"'s chest wall over the aorta in a vertical left-to-right plane perpendicular to the horizontal side-to-side plane;

and the second gamma imager placed against the patient'"'"'s body and tilted 30 degrees toward the patient'"'"'s left side in a vertical side-to-side plane and 10 degrees toward the patient'"'"'s feet in a head-to-toe plane relative to the first gamma imager.