US 12,599,350 B2 · Computed tomography based imaging of vasa vasorum density for detection and monitoring of inflammation and angiogenesis in vascular wall

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for imaging vasa vasorum density of a vessel in the body such as coronary and carotid arteries and the aorta and thereby assessing the risk of adverse health outcomes for a patient, comprising administering a contrast agent to the patient; performing a contrast-enhanced CT scan to measure Hounsfield distribution and heterogeneity related to vasa vasorum density in and around the vessel wall of a patient; analyzing the data to determine a metric related to the density of the vasa vasorum; and recommending a diagnostic and/or therapeutic next step to the patient to prevent adverse health outcomes based at least in part on the metric related to the vasa vasorum density.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for imaging inflammation based on quantifying vasa vasorum density in and around a coronary artery wall, comprising:

performing contrast-enhanced coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA);
processing the acquired image data to measure the Hounsfield Units (HU) of voxels corresponding to contrast-enhanced microvascular structures representing vasa vasorum density within the coronary artery wall and the immediately adjacent adventitia;
reporting the quantified contrast-enhanced vasa vasorum density for the coronary arteries;
and
recommending a diagnostic or therapeutic course of action for the patient based on the measured vasa vasorum density, wherein a higher vasa vasorum density indicates a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

18/469,384Filed 18 Sep 2023 · us provisional application

Priority

9 Oct 2022

Published

US 2024/0115224 A111 Apr 2024

Granted

14 Apr 2026

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

A61B 6/504
Specially adapted for specific body parts; specially adapted for specific clinical applications: for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
A61B 6/4417
Constructional features of apparatus for radiation diagnosis: related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
A61B 6/481
Diagnostic techniques: involving the use of contrast agents
A61B 6/503
Specially adapted for specific body parts; specially adapted for specific clinical applications: for diagnosis of the heart

Computed tomography based imaging of vasa vasorum density for detection and monitoring of inflammation and angiogenesis in vascular wall

Life of this patent

Computed tomography based imaging of vasa vasorum density for detection and monitoring of inflammation and angiogenesis in vascular wall

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17