CT perfusion phantom

摘要

A physical phantom reference to control for variability of computed tomography measurement results duplicates the density curve of blood perfusion of contrast material in a healthy aorta or large artery to normalize observed changes in healthy arterial blood perfusion when calculating the reduction in tumor blood perfusion between two examination times. In one embodiment, a plurality of compartments with different concentrations of contrast material corresponding to a density curve of blood perfusion of a healthy tissue are positioned-in a screening field of a CT machine so the CT machine images the compartments when it images the healthy tissue. In another embodiment, a pipe containing fluid receives an injection of contrast material from the injector when the injector injects the contrast material into the patient, the pipe having sections of varying diameter so the sections together correspond to a blood perfusion curve of the contrast material in a healthy tissue.

主权项

1. A method of using imaging equipment to measure blood perfusion in a patient having a cancerous tissue, comprising:
measuring a blood perfusion of contrast material in the cancerous tissue and in healthy tissue in the patient at a first examination time using a first piece of imaging equipment, to obtain a first cancer/healthy perfusion ratio result; measuring a blood perfusion of the contrast material in a healthy tissue phantom at the first examination time using the first piece of imaging equipment, the healthy tissue phantom having a known density curve selected to correspond to the blood perfusion of the healthy tissue to obtain a first phantom perfusion result; re-measuring a blood perfusion of the contrast material in the cancerous tissue and in the healthy tissue in the patient at a second examination time to obtain a second cancer/healthy perfusion ratio result using a second piece of imaging equipment; and re-measuring a blood perfusion of the contrast material in the healthy tissue phantom at the second examination time using the second piece of imaging equipment to obtain a second phantom perfusion result.