US Patent:
20150297160, Oct 22, 2015
Inventors:
Kelly Davis Orcutt - Somerville MA, US
John Hoppin - Boston MA, US
Jacob Hesterman - Boston MA, US
Christian Lackas - Cologne, DE
- Boston MA, US
International Classification:
A61B 6/00
A61B 5/00
A61B 6/03
G06F 19/00
A61B 5/055
Abstract:
A method of estimating a parameter of physiological significance in the central nervous system (CNS) is provided. The method comprises (a) providing one or more images of the brain or cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) in a subject to whom a dose of a contrast agent (CA) has been administered; (b) determining, using a computer equipped with image processing software, the concentration or relative concentration of the agent in a region or regions of interest in the brain or CSF, thereby generating concentration data; (c) describing the time-based behavior of concentrations of CA within the brain or CSF using a pharmacokinetic model that is based on a set of pharmacokinetic model parameters; and (d) fitting, using computer code, the pharmacokinetic model to the concentration data, varying one or more parameters, wherein the best fit estimates a parameter of physiological significance in the CNS.