Apparatus and method for determining an injection point for targeted drug

A method for determining an injection point for targeted drug delivery into a patient's body by injection of the drug into a vessel feeding a target area including a target comprising the steps of:

• with a processor, identifying in an acquired diagnostic image a vessel tree with branch vessels feeding said target area,
• with the processor, determining the percentage of drug material delivered to said target via branch vessels of the vessel tree after injection into each of a plurality of different potential injection points in the branch vessels of said vessel tree,
• with the processor, selecting a one of the plurality of potential injection points in the branch vessels which results in a highest percentage of drug delivery to said target,
• with a display device, displaying the selected one of the potential injection points.

An apparatus for determining an injection point into a blood vessel for a drug which targets a cancer and harms healthy tissue, the apparatus comprising:

• a processor programmed to:
• segment a diagnostic image to generate a vessel tree depicting blood vessels which branch to define a plurality of branch segments, some of the branch segments feeding the cancer and some feeding the healthy tissue,
• determine relative flow rates in the branch segments,
• determine from the relative flow rates an injection point in one of the branch segments upstream from the cancer which maximizes delivery of the drug via the selected branch segment to the cancer and minimizes harm to the healthy tissue;
• and
• a display device which displays the vessel tree and an indication of the determined injection point.