US 12,268,547 B2
Imaging method for diagnosing cardiovascular disease
Eric James Moulton, Montreal (CA); Robert A. DeKemp, Ottawa (CA); Indranil Nandi, Yardley, PA (US); and Chad Roger Ronald Nicholas Hunter, Ottawa (CA)
Assigned to Jubilant Draximage Inc., (CA)
Filed by Jubilant Draximage Inc., Montreal (CA)
Filed on Sep. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/242,131.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/499,399, filed on May 1, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/374,732, filed on Sep. 6, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0074721 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
Int. Cl. A61B 6/00 (2024.01); A61B 6/03 (2006.01); A61B 6/50 (2024.01); G06T 5/70 (2024.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); G06T 11/00 (2006.01); G06V 10/25 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01)
CPC A61B 6/5217 (2013.01) [A61B 6/037 (2013.01); A61B 6/507 (2013.01); A61B 6/5258 (2013.01); G06T 5/70 (2024.01); G06T 7/0012 (2013.01); G06T 11/005 (2013.01); G06V 10/25 (2022.01); G06V 10/82 (2022.01); G06T 2200/04 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10104 (2013.01); G06T 2207/20084 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30104 (2013.01); G06T 2211/441 (2023.08); G06V 2201/03 (2022.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image processing method to assess quantitative myocardial blood flow and/or myocardial flow reserve, comprising the steps of:
a. pre-processing of images comprises:
(i) reconstructing dynamic cine 3D tomographic myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) data,
(ii) isolating value at voxel (i,j,k) for each time point ti where i is from 1 to N,
(iii) optionally, denoising to improve the quality of image,
(iv) extracting blood input function from a region of interest (ROI) of the left ventricle blood cavity or other arterial blood region of interest (ROI),
(v) estimating the distribution volume (DV), given by the ratio of uptake and washout rates (K1/k2), to stabilize and improve estimation of K1, k2 and total blood volume (TBV) and subsequent myocardial blood flow measures, and
(vi) data normalization by dividing by the maximum of the blood input function;
b. assessing the individual signals pre-processed in step (a) in order to generate K1 and TBV parametric maps using artificial neural network;
c. post-processing of K1, k2 and TBV parametric maps; and of rest and stress myocardial blood flow to estimate myocardial flow reserve (MFR) map and/or coronary flow reserve (CFR) map.