Facilitating assessment of blood flow and tissue perfusion using fluorescence-mediated photoplethysmography

A method for use in medical imaging for facilitating assessment of blood flow in a tissue volume of a subject, the method comprising:

• after a predetermined amount of a fluorescence agent has been administered to the subject, exciting the fluorescence agent in the tissue volume such that the excited fluorescence agent emits fluorescent light;
• acquiring fluorescence data based on the fluorescent light emitted during blood flow through the tissue volume;
• estimating a molar concentration of the fluorescence agent in the blood flowing through the tissue volume, wherein the estimated molar concentration is based on the predetermined amount of the fluorescence agent and an estimated circulating blood volume in the subject;
• and
• generating an assessment of blood flow in the tissue volume based at least in part on the fluorescence data and the estimated molar concentration of the fluorescence agent.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for facilitating assessment of blood flow in a tissue volume of a subject, wherein the instructions, when executed by a system comprising a light source and one or more processors, cause a system to:

• excite, by the light source, a fluorescence agent in the tissue volume, after a predetermined amount of the fluorescence agent has been administered to the subject, such that the fluorescence agent emits fluorescent light;
• receive fluorescence data based on the fluorescent light emitted from the excited fluorescence agent in the tissue volume;
• estimate a molar concentration of the fluorescence agent in the blood flowing through the tissue volume, wherein the estimated molar concentration is based on the predetermined amount of the fluorescence agent and an estimated circulating blood volume in the subject;
• and
• generate an assessment of blood flow in the tissue volume based at least in part on the fluorescence data and the estimated molar concentration of the fluorescence agent.