Method and computer unit for setting a contrast agent injection pump for image recording

• US 8,655,432 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hempel, Eckhard, Niethammer, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Unsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAURITZEN, AMANDA L
• Application Number:
  US11/826,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,409 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/431, 600/425, 600/432, 378/42, 604/131, 604/151, 604/890.1
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/545 involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence

Abstract

A method is proposed for simple and quick setting of an injection pump for image recording. In at least one embodiment of the method, patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters are entered and a contrast agent protocol is created from the patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters, by computer, by way of a functional relationship, and the contrast agent protocol is output to the injection pump. Furthermore, a computer unit is provided in at least one embodiment, with the aid of which the method is carried out.

Claims

1. A method for setting an injection pump for image recording, comprising:

entering patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters, an estimated scan duration being entered as an appliance-specific input parameter;

creating a contrast agent protocol from the entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters, by computer, by way of a functional relationship, a provisional amount of contrast agent being determined from the estimated scan duration as part of the contrast agent protocol before the start of image recording;

outputting, to the injection pump, the contrast agent protocol, the provisional amount of contrast agent being drawn automatically by the injection pump;

determining an actual scan duration;

entering, during image recording, the actual scan duration as an appliance-specific input parameter;

determining an actual amount of contrast agent as part of the contrast agent protocol based on the actual scan duration;

comparing the provisional amount of contrast agent to the actual amount of contrast agent; and

outputting, if the actual amount of contrast agent is greater than the provisional amount of contrast agent, at least one of a request to add a dilution agent and a request for replenishment of the injection pump as part of the contrast agent protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of mathematical and logical operations are used as part of fuzzy logic in the functional relationship.

3. The method as claimed is claim 1, further comprising:

chancing the functional relationship on the basis of empirical values.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

outputting at least one of a matched couch feed rate for a patient couch and a matched rotation rate of an imaging appliance with the contrast agent protocol in order to comply with the estimated scan duration.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, if the actual amount of contrast agent is less than the provisional amount of contrast agent, a shorter injection time is output as a part of the contrast agent protocol.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program segments for, when executed on a computer device, causing the computer device to implement the method of claim 1.

7. The method in claim 1, wherein an association of the entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters with output parameters of the contrast agent protocol is used as the functional relationship.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the association of the entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters with the output parameters of the contrast agent protocol is contained in a table.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of mathematical and logical operations are used as part of the fuzzy logic in the functional relationship.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a changed contrast agent protocol as a function of a threshold value.

11. The method in claim 10, wherein the threshold value is calculated as a function of the patient-specific input parameters.

12. A computer unit, designed to create and output a contrast agent protocol, to set an injection pump for image recording, comprising:

the computer unit configured to,

receive entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters, an estimated scan duration being entered as an appliance-specific input parameter;

create a contrast agent protocol from the entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters, by computer, by way of a functional relationship, the computer unit determining a provisional amount of contrast agent from the estimated scan duration as part of the contrast agent protocol before the start of image recording;

output to the injection pump, the contrast agent protocol, the provisional amount of contrast agent being drawn automatically by the injection pump;

determine an actual scan duration;

enter, during image recording, the actual scan duration as an appliance-specific input parameter;

determine an actual amount of contrast agent as part of the contrast agent protocol based on the actual scan duration;

compare the provisional amount of contrast agent to the actual amount of contrast agent; and

output, if the actual amount of contrast agent is greater than the provisional amount of contrast agent, at least one of the request to add a dilution agent and a request for replenishment of injection pump as a part of the contrast agent protocol.

13. The computer unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the computer unit is configured to output, if the actual amount of contrast agent is less than the provisional amount of contrast agent, a shorter injection time is output as part of the contrast agent protocol.

14. A computer unit, to create and output a contrast agent protocol, to set an injection pump for image recording, comprising:

means for receiving entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters, an estimated scan duration being entered as an appliance-specific input parameter;

means for creating a contrast agent protocol from the entered patient-specific and appliance-specific input parameters by way of a functional relationship, a provisional amount of contrast agent being determined from the estimated scan duration as part of the contrast agent protocol before the start of image recording;

means for outputting, to the injection pump, the contrast agent protocol, the provisional amount of contrast agent being drawn automatically by the injection pump;

means for determining an actual scan duration;

means for entering, during image recording, the actual scan duration as an appliance-specific input parameter;

means for determining an actual amount of contrast agent as part of the contrast agent protocol based on the actual scan duration;

means for comparing the provisional amount of contrast agent to the actual amount of contrast agent; and

means for outputting, if the actual amount of contrast agent is greater than the provisional amount of contrast agent, at least one of a request to add a dilution agent and a request for replenishment of the injection pump as part of the contrast agent protocol.