Diagnostically useful results in real time

2:

• The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blood viscosity resistance is calculated at least in part by multiplying a blood viscosity (μ) by the length of the vessel segment (Li) and a calculated or estimated blood flow (Qi), and dividing a product thereof by the radius or diameter (di) of the vessel segment raised to a fourth power.

5:

• The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a user interface communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to display the index indicative of vascular function.

6:

• The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the index indicative of vascular function includes fractional flow reserve (“FFR”) values.

8:

• The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the geometric measurements associated with the individual portions of the vascular segment include at least one of a radius or a diameter at the individual portions of the vascular segment.

9:

• The apparatus of claim 7, wherein for at least some of the individual portions of the vascular segment, a plurality of resistances is combined to form a total resistance, and wherein the processor is configured to determine an individual pressure drop based on the total resistance.

10:

• The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the total resistance is a sum of the determined resistances for the individual portion of the vascular segment.

11:

• The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the functional index is calculated based on a sum of the individual pressure drops.

12:

• The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a blood viscosity resistance for each of the individual portions of the vascular segment.

13:

• The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to determine the plurality of pressure drops for at least some of the individual portions of the vascular segment based on a blood viscosity resistance that is calculated according to a Poiseuille formulation and a resistance due to at least one of bifurcations, constrictions, or curvatures that is calculated according to a Darcy-Weisbach formulation.

14:

• The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to determine the plurality of pressure drops for at least some of the individual portions of the vascular segment based on a blood viscosity resistance that is calculated at least in part by multiplying a blood viscosity (μ) by a length of the vessel segment (Li) and a calculated or estimated blood flow (Qi), and dividing a product thereof by a radius or diameter (di) of the vessel segment raised to a fourth power.

16:

• The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to adjust at least some of the plurality of pressure drops for at least some of the individual portions of the vascular segment based on calculated pressure drops due to at least one of bifurcations, constrictions, or curvatures of the vessel segment at a respective location of the calculated pressure drop.

17:

• The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to cause the functional index to be displayed.

19:

• The method of claim 18, wherein the blood viscosity resistance is calculated at least in part by multiplying a blood viscosity (μ) by the length of the vessel segment (Li) and a calculated or estimated blood flow (Qi), and dividing a product thereof by the radius or diameter (di) of the vessel segment raised to a fourth power.