CPC A61B 5/14556 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0071 (2013.01); A61B 5/201 (2013.01); A61B 5/6832 (2013.01); A61B 5/7235 (2013.01); A61B 5/742 (2013.01); G01J 1/0407 (2013.01); G01J 1/44 (2013.01); A61B 2560/0242 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0242 (2013.01)] | 21 Claims |
1. A method of assessment of renal function by monitoring a time-varying fluorescence signal emitted from a fluorescent agent from within a diffuse reflecting medium with time-varying optical properties, the method comprising:
using a renal monitoring system comprising at least one light source, at least one light detector, at least one optical filter, and at least one controller to provide a measurement data set comprising a plurality of measurement data entries, each measurement data entry comprising at least two measurements obtained at one data acquisition time from a patient before and after administration of the fluorescent agent, the at least two measurements selected from:
a DRex signal detected at a second region adjacent to the diffuse reflecting medium by an unfiltered light detector during illumination of the diffuse reflecting medium by excitatory-wavelength light from a first region adjacent to the diffuse reflecting medium;
an Flr signal detected at a third region adjacent to the diffuse reflecting medium by a filtered light detector during illumination of the diffuse reflecting medium by excitatory-wavelength light from the first region;
a DRem signal detected at the second region by the unfiltered light detector during illumination of the diffuse reflecting medium by emission-wavelength light from the first region; and
a DRem,filtered signal detected at the third region by the filtered light detector during illumination of the diffuse reflecting medium by emission-wavelength light from the first region,
wherein the at least two measurements comprise the Flr signal and the DRem,filtered signal, and
wherein the at least one controller further comprises a processing unit, wherein said processing unit comprises a post-agent administration selection subunit, said post-agent administration selection subunit configured to identify a post-agent administration portion of the measurement data set and a post-equilibration portion of the measurement data set;
identifying the post-agent administration portion of the measurement data set;
transforming each Flr signal of each measurement data entry within the post-agent administration portion of the measurement data set to an IF signal representing a detected fluorescence intensity emitted solely by the fluorescent agent from within the diffuse reflecting medium, wherein the transforming comprises combining the at least two measurements according to a transformation relation comprising a mathematical equation converting Flr to IF;
identifying the post-equilibration portion of the measurement data set;
transforming the IF signals corresponding to the post-equilibration portion of the measurement data set to a rate of change of the IF signals; and
determining renal function in the patient based on the rate of change of the IF signals.
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