Method of ultrasonically quantitating myocardial perfusion using as intravenously injected tracer
AssigneeMolecular Biosystems, Inc.
InventorsKenneth J. Widder, Harold B. Levene, Gary L. Bales
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Abstract
Myocardial perfusion is assessed quantitatively by an ultrasonic echocardiographic procedure in which: the myocardium is ultrasonically imaged; an ultrasonic contrast agent consisting of a suspension of pressure-stable, water-insoluble gas-containing microspheres sized to pass through the pulmonary capillaries is injected intravenously; imaging is continued through the first transit of the microspheres through the myocardium; the videodensity versus time relationship is determined from the images; and blood flow through the myocardium is calculated from that relationship.
Claims10
A method of quantitatively measuring blood flow in the myocardium of a patient comprising:
- (a) initiating ultrasonic imaging of the myocardium;
- (b) while said imaging is continued, intravenously injecting an effective dosage of a suspension of biocompatible tracer microspheres containing an insoluble gas into the patient, wherein:
- (i) the microspheres have a mean diameter that permits them to pass through the pulmonary capillaries of the patient and
- (ii) said suspension is capable of maintaining 25% of the initial optical density at 600 nm after being subjected to a pressure of 5 psi for 30 seconds;
- (c) continuing said imaging during the first transit of the microspheres through the myocardium;
- (d) determining a videodensity versus time relationship from the images obtained in steps (a) through (c);
- and
- (e) calculating the blood flow in the myocardium from said relationship.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.