Fluorescence Blood Flow Timing via Bolus Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical imaging systems rely on practitioner experience for determining the timing of fluorescence imaging assessments, leading to inaccurate and inconsistent results due to variations in patient physiology and technique, which affects the accuracy of blood flow assessments.
Innovation Solution
Systems and methods that analyze fluorescence imaging data to determine the appropriate time for performing blood flow assessments by tracking the movement of a fluorescence imaging agent through tissue, providing real-time guidance or automatically performing the assessment when the agent's concentration stabilizes, allowing for consistent and accurate blood flow analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If practitioner experience is used to determine timing for fluorescence imaging assessments, then the system is simple to operate, but the measurement precision and reliability of blood flow assessments deteriorate due to variations in patient physiology and technique
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors fluorescence signal characteristics and provides real-time feedback about the bolus progression stage through automated detection algorithms. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically determine the optimal timing for blood flow assessment based on objective signal criteria rather than practitioner experience, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system performs self-assessment of the bolus progression stage by analyzing fluorescence signal characteristics automatically. The system serves itself by detecting when the optimal timing for blood flow assessment occurs without requiring practitioner intervention or expertise, thus resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and measurement precision.
2Device complexity
If practitioner experience is relied upon for timing assessments, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of blood flow assessment deteriorates due to inconsistency across different practitioners and patients
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor fluorescence signal characteristics and objectively determine the optimal timing for blood flow assessment. This automated feedback loop eliminates variability between practitioners and patients by using consistent, objective criteria, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/practitioner-based timing determination system with an automated computational system that analyzes fluorescence signal characteristics. This substitution of manual expertise with automated algorithms improves reliability while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through efficient signal processing techniques.
3Productivity
If the assessment is performed at any time during bolus passage, then the productivity is high, but the measurement precision deteriorates because the fluorescence intensity level varies continuously
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of fluorescence signal characteristics to automatically identify and mark the optimal timing window for blood flow assessment before the actual measurement is taken. This preliminary action ensures that the assessment is performed at the correct moment when fluorescence intensity is stable, thereby maintaining high productivity while improving measurement precision through automated timing selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses real-time feedback from fluorescence signal monitoring to dynamically determine the optimal timing for assessment. By continuously analyzing signal characteristics and providing feedback about the current bolus stage, the system ensures that measurements are taken at the precise moment when precision is required, resolving the contradiction between productivity and measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and consistent blood flow assessments, such as tissue perfusion quantification, by ensuring assessments are performed at the optimal time based on fluorescence signal stabilization, reducing reliance on practitioner experience.
Implementation Method 1
Fluorescence imaging generally involves the administration of a bolus of an imaging agent that circulates through the subject's tissue and emits a fluorescence signal when illuminated with the appropriate excitation light
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for indicating a stage of movement of a fluorescence imaging agent through tissue includes, at a computing system: receiving a plurality of fluorescence imaging frames capturing a fluorescence imaging agent moving through the tissue; determining a stage of movement of the fluorescence imaging agent through the tissue as the fluorescence imaging agent moves through the tissue; and providing an indication to a user, as the fluorescence imaging agent moves through the tissue, that indicates the stage of movement of the fluorescence imaging agent through the tissue.