Method and apparatus for processing and displaying images of the arteries and veins

A method, comprising:

• obtaining baseline phase image data of a body part of a patient without a contrast agent in the vessels;
• obtaining arterial phase image data of the body part with a contrast agent in the arterial vessels but substantially not in the venous vessels;
• obtaining venous phase image data of the body part with the contrast agent in both the arterial vessels and the venous vessels;
• producing isolated arterial image data by subtracting baseline phase image data from the arterial phase image data;
• producing isolated venous image data by subtracting arterial phase image data from the venous phase image data;
• altering the isolated arterial image data and/or the isolated venous image data to produce altered arterial image data and/or altered venous image data;
• displaying the altered arterial image data and or altered venous image data superimposed on one another.

A method, comprising:

• obtaining one or more sets of arterial phase image data of the body part with a contrast agent in the arterial vessels but substantially not in the venous vessels;
• obtaining one or more sets of venous phase image data of the body part with the contrast agent in both the arterial vessels and the venous vessels;
• isolating arterial image data and venous image data from the one or more sets of arterial phase image data and/or the venous phase image data;
• altering one or both of the isolated arterial image data sets and the isolated venous image data sets to produce altered arterial image data and/or altered venous image data sets wherein each set in the sequence of acquired data sets is altered so that the color of each sequential image is different;
• displaying images derived from the altered arterial image or venous image data sets in a sequence to illustrate blood flow.

An article of manufacture comprising a computer program stored on or in a storage medium, comprising:

• computer code for storing and retrieving baseline phase image data of a body part of a patient without a contrast agent in the vessels;
• computer code for storing and retrieving arterial phase image data and venous phase image data, wherein the arterial phase image data is obtained from a body part with a contrast agent in the arterial vessels but substantially not in the venous vessels, and the venous phase image data is obtained from a body part with the contrast agent in both the arterial vessels and the venous vessels;
• computer code for producing isolated arterial image data by subtracting baseline phase image data from the arterial phase image data;
• computer code for producing isolated venous image data by subtracting arterial phase image data from the venous phase image data;
• computer code for altering the isolated arterial image data and/or the isolated venous image data to produce altered arterial image data and/or altered venous image data;
• computer code for displaying the altered arterial image data and or altered venous image data superimposed on one another.

An article of manufacture comprising a computer program stored on or in a storage medium, comprising:

• computer code for storing and retrieving one or more sets of arterial phase image data of the body part with a contrast agent in the arterial vessels but substantially not in the venous vessels;
• computer code for storing and retrieving one or more sets of venous phase image data of the body part with the contrast agent in both the arterial vessels and the venous vessels;
• computer code for isolating arterial image data and venous image data from the one or more sets of arterial phase image data and/or the venous phase image data;
• computer code for altering one or both of the isolated arterial image data sets and the isolated venous image data sets to produce altered arterial image data and/or altered venous image data sets wherein each set in the sequence of acquired data sets is altered so that the color of each sequential image is different;
• computer code for displaying images derived from the altered arterial image or venous image data sets in a sequence to illustrate blood flow.

A systems, comprising:

• an imaging system for obtaining arterial phase image data of a body part with a contrast agent in the arterial vessels but substantially not in the venous vessels, and for obtaining venous phase image data of the body part with the contrast agent in both the arterial vessels and the venous vessels;
• the imaging system including program code for isolating arterial image data and venous image data from the arterial phase image data and/or the venous phase image data;
• the imaging system further including program code for altering one or both of the isolated arterial image data and the isolated venous image data to produce altered arterial image data and/or altered venous image data;
• the imaging systems further including program code for displaying images derived from the altered arterial image data and or altered venous image data superimposed on one another.