Angiography Contrast Injection Prediction System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CT Angiography techniques face challenges in achieving uniform arterial enhancement due to patient-specific physiologic variations, requiring multiple scans and manual determination of injection protocols, which are complex and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A method that defines multiple regions of interest with desired enhancement profiles, establishes a coordinated multiphasic injection profile, and communicates this profile to a power contrast injector using electrical signals to achieve synchronized enhancement across regions, reducing the need for multiple scans and improving prediction accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple scans are performed to capture different phases of contrast enhancement, then the ability to obtain multiphasic scans is improved, but the workflow complexity and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary test injection with a small amount of contrast agent to characterize the patient's vascular time-attenuation response. This preliminary action enables the calculation of a predicted enhancement profile that can be used to plan subsequent diagnostic scans, eliminating the need for multiple trial scans and reducing workflow complexity while maintaining multiphasic capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the test injection to calculate a predicted enhancement profile, which then guides the timing and parameters of subsequent diagnostic scans. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt to patient-specific physiologic variations and achieve multiphasic imaging without requiring multiple separate scan procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual determination of injection protocols is used, then the ability to customize imaging protocols is improved, but the time required and potential for errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-characterization by automatically analyzing the patient's vascular time-attenuation response from the test injection. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual protocol determination while maintaining the ability to customize imaging protocols to each patient's specific physiologic characteristics, significantly reducing setup time and minimizing human error.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically calculates and optimizes injection parameters (rate, volume, timing) based on the patient's measured vascular response. By dynamically adjusting these parameters according to patient-specific data, the system achieves customized protocols without manual intervention, reducing time and improving accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed delay method is used for scanning, then the simplicity of the procedure is improved, but the ability to account for physiological variations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary test injection to characterize the patient's specific vascular time-attenuation response before the actual diagnostic scan. This preliminary action enables the calculation of a patient-specific predicted enhancement profile, allowing the system to account for individual physiological variations while maintaining operational simplicity through automated parameter calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts scan timing and parameters based on the patient's measured vascular response characteristics. By changing the delay and injection parameters according to patient-specific data rather than using a fixed protocol, the system maintains simplicity while significantly improving its ability to account for physiological variations.
4Measurement precision
If contrast agent is administered at high rates to ensure sufficient enhancement, then the enhancement magnitude is improved, but the risk of excessive enhancement and adverse effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the test injection to calculate the patient's specific vascular time-attenuation response and predicted enhancement profile. This feedback mechanism enables the system to determine the optimal contrast agent administration rate that will achieve sufficient enhancement while avoiding excessive contrast load, thereby minimizing adverse effects while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically calculates and adjusts the contrast administration rate and total volume based on the patient's measured vascular response. By optimizing these parameters individually for each patient rather than using standardized high-dose protocols, the system achieves sufficient enhancement magnitude while reducing the risk of adverse effects from excessive contrast.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for use in angiography includes obtaining data from a tracking scan following injection of a contrast agent according to a test injection profile. A region of interest (308) is established. The data from the tracking scan, the test injection profile, and the measured enhancement of the region of interest (302) are used to establish a patient function at the region of interest. The patient function and a desired enhancement profile (402) are used to establish a desired clinical injection profile. The desired clinical injection profile is communicated to a contrast injector (36) via an electrical injector interface.