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US 12,751,639 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for measuring intravascular blood flow using a backscattering contrast
AssigneeThe General Hospital Corporation
InventorsBrett E. Bouma, Nestor Uribe-Patarroyo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus including: an imaging system; a probe for insertion into a vessel, the probe being coupled to the imaging system; a flow delivery system associated with the probe to release a differential-contrast fluid into the vessel at a location proximal to an end of the probe; and a processor to: collect data from the imaging system based on release of the differential-contrast fluid into the vessel, analyze the collected data to identify a presence or absence of the differential-contrast fluid as a function of time, and determine a flow rate in the vessel based on analyzing the collected data.
Claims38
An apparatus, comprising:
- an imaging system;
- an optical probe for insertion into a vessel, the optical probe being coupled to the imaging system to acquire optical data from within the vessel,
- the optical probe being disposed within an inner sleeve at least partially disposed within a guide catheter;
- a flow delivery system associated with the optical probe to release a differential-contrast fluid from a space between the inner sleeve and the guide catheter into the vessel at a location proximal to an end of the optical probe;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- use the optical probe to collect the optical data from the imaging system based on release of the differential-contrast fluid into the vessel,
- the optical data comprising a plurality of cross-sectional images from a single vessel location to develop a time course,
- analyze the collected plurality of cross-sectional images to identify a presence of the differential-contrast fluid as a function of time based on identifying pixels having an intensity above a threshold for each pixel in the plurality of cross-sectional images,
- calculate a fractional area representing a fraction of pixels with intensities above the threshold for each cross-sectional image in the plurality of cross-sectional images,
- normalize the plurality of cross-sectional images based on the fractional area of each cross-sectional image,
- determine a flushing time based on the time course of the normalized fractional area, wherein the flushing time comprises a time from when a frame of the cross-sectional image reaches the minimum average intensity to when the normalized fractional area of the cross-sectional image reaches a particular threshold, and
- determine a flow rate in the vessel based on an inverse of the flushing time.
10 more elements
A method, comprising:
- controlling a flow delivery system associated with a probe to cause release of a differential-contrast fluid into a vessel adjacent to the probe,
- the probe being optically coupled to an imaging system, and
- the probe being disposed within an inner sleeve at least partially disposed within a guide catheter;
- collecting, using the probe in combination with a processor, optical data from the imaging system based on the release of the differential-contrast fluid from a space between the inner sleeve and the guide catheter into the vessel at a location proximal to an end of the probes,
- the optical data comprising a plurality of cross-sectional images from a single vessel location to develop a time course;
- analyzing, using the processor, the collected plurality of cross-sectional images to identify a presence of the differential-contrast fluid as a function of time based on identifying pixels having an intensity above a threshold for each pixel in the plurality of cross-sectional images;
- calculating, using the processor, a fractional area representing a fraction of pixels with intensities above the threshold for each cross-sectional image in the plurality of cross-sectional images;
- normalizing, using the processor, the cross-sectional images based on the fractional area of each cross-sectional image;
- determining, using the processor, a flushing time based on the time course of the normalized fractional area, wherein the flushing time comprises a time from when a frame of the cross-sectional image reaches the minimum average intensity to when the normalized fractional area of the cross-sectional image reaches a particular threshold;
- and
- determining, using the processor, a flow rate in the vessel based on an inverse of the flushing time.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.