Quantitative assessment of neovascularization

摘要

Systems and methods using contrast enhanced ultrasound imaging for quantitative assessment of neovascularization, such as within a tumor or a plaque. The contrast agent moves in small blotches rather than in continuous flow, but image processing methods enable the detection and quantification of the blood flow, even in the tiny blood vessels of the vasculature tree. The image processing includes compensation for motion of the tissue arising from body movement. The position and extent of the discrete positions of contrast material may be accumulating during a complete heart cycle onto a single 2D image, to enable an indication of a vascular tree based on this local accumulated image. Dynamic processing (DP) of the discrete positions of contrast material enables a complete vascular tree to be obtained. The neovascularization is quantified by the ratio of its total area to that of the plaque in which the neovascularization has grown.

主权项

1. A method of analyzing ultrasound images to provide information regarding neovascularization in a tissue of a subject, said method comprising:
obtaining a series of contrast enhanced ultrasound images of said tissue; compensating for motion of tissue features between different ones of said contrast enhanced ultrasound images, to generate a series of compensated images; detecting in at least one of said compensated images discrete segments of imaged contrast material; constructing a representation of an arterial tree from said detected segments; and quantifying the level of the neovascularization from the extent of the detected segments in said representation of said arterial tree, wherein said representation of said arterial tree is constructed by performing dynamic programming on at least one of said series of compensated images.