Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110213244 | Real-Time Perfusion Imaging and Quantification - A solution for diagnostic applications is proposed. Particularly, a corresponding diagnostic system includes means ( | 09-01-2011 |
20120082359 | AUTO-SCALING OF PARAMETRIC IMAGES - An embodiment is proposed for analyzing a body-part. A corresponding embodiment of a data-processing method includes the steps of providing a parametric map including a plurality of parameter values each one characterizing a corresponding location of the body-part, and determining at least one statistical indicator of at least one distribution of a plurality of analysis parameter values corresponding to selected analysis locations, each statistical indicator being indicative of a condition of an analysis region of the body-part defined by the analysis locations. In an embodiment, the step of determining at least one statistical indicator includes, for each distribution of the analysis parameter values, determining a saturation value partitioning an ordered sequence of processing parameter values, corresponding to selected processing locations at least including the analysis locations, into a first subset and a second subset consisting of a number of the processing parameter values being determined according to a predefined auto-scaling percentage, generating an auto-scaled map including, for each processing location, an auto-scaled value being equal to the corresponding processing parameter value if included in the second subset, or the saturation value if the corresponding processing parameter value is included in the first subset, and determining the at least one statistical indicator from the auto-scaled values corresponding to the analysis locations. | 04-05-2012 |
20120237098 | PARAMETRIC IMAGES BASED ON DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OVER TIME - An embodiment for analyzing a body-part of a patient is proposed. A corresponding data-processing method includes the steps of providing a sequence of input images representing the body-part over an analysis period, each input image including a set of input values each one being indicative of a response to an interrogation signal of a corresponding location of the body-part at a corresponding acquisition instant included in the analysis period, associating an analysis function of time with each one of a set of selected locations, the analysis function modeling a trend of the input values of the selected location in the sequence of input images, and providing a reference function of time for the analysis functions; in an embodiment, the data-processing method further includes comparing the analysis function of each selected location with the reference function to determine a polarity trend representing a trend over the analysis period of a polarity of a divergence between the analysis function of the selected location and the reference function, and creating a parametric image including a parametric value for each selected location, the parametric value being indicative of the polarity trend of the selected location. | 09-20-2012 |
20130060135 | INITIALIZATION OF FITTING PARAMETERS FOR PERFUSION ASSESSMENT BASED ON BOLUS ADMINISTRATION - An embodiment includes analyzing a body part perfused with a contrast agent, which has been pre-administered as a bolus to circulate through the body-part with at least a first passage during an analysis interval. The analyzing includes providing at least one input signal indicative of a response to an interrogation signal of a corresponding location of the body part during the analysis interval, and fitting each input signal over the analysis interval by an instance of a combined bolus function of time, based on a combination of a first simple bolus function of time modeling the first passage of the contrast agent and at least one second simple bolus function of time each one modeling a corresponding second passage of the contrast agent. | 03-07-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080228080 | Perfusion Assessment Method and System Based on Bolus Administration - A perfusion assessment system is proposed. The system includes means for providing an echo-power signal indicative of a perfusion of a contrast agent in a body-part under analysis, the contrast agent being administered as a bolus and undergoing a significant destruction during a passage of the contrast agent in the body-part, means for associating the echo-power signal to a model function including the product between a bolus function indicative of the passage of the contrast agent without said destruction and a reperfusion function indicative of a reperfusion of the contrast agent in the body part following the destruction corresponding to a substantially constant inflow of the contrast agent, and means for estimating at least one perfusion indicator from the bolus function and/or the reperfusion function. | 09-18-2008 |
20080294027 | System for extracting morphological information through a perfusion assessment process - A perfusion assessment system is proposed. The system includes means for providing an echo-power signal indicative of a reperfusion of a contrast agent in a body-part of a living subject following destruction of a significant portion of the contrast agent in the body-part, means for associating the echo-power signal to a perfusion function with an S-shape based on a plurality of elementary perfusion functions with said S-shape each one for a corresponding value of at least one perfusion parameter, the elementary perfusion functions being weighted according to a probability density distribution of the at least one perfusion parameter, wherein the S-shape includes an initial portion with substantially zero first derivatives, a final portion with substantially zero first derivatives, and a central portion between the initial portion and the final portion changing monotonically from a value of the initial portion to a value of the final portion, means for determining at least one shape indicator of the probability density distribution, and means for comparing the at least one shape indicator with at least one predetermined further shape indicator to identify morphological characteristics of the body-part according to a result of the comparison. | 11-27-2008 |
20090028406 | Perfusion Assessment Based on Animated Perfusion Imaging - An embodiment of a medical imaging system is proposed. The system includes means for providing a sequence of recorded input images each one offering a digital representation at a corresponding instant of a body part being perfused with a contrast agent, each input image including a plurality of visualizing values each one representing a corresponding portion of the body part, and means for associating each sequence of corresponding sets in the input images of at least one visualizing value with a model function of time; the system further includes means for generating a sequence of computed images at further instants, each computed image including a plurality of further visualizing values each one being determined by an instantaneous function-value which is calculated from the associated model function at the corresponding further instant, and means for displaying the sequence of computed images. | 01-29-2009 |
20090324030 | Instantaneous Visualization of Contrast Agent Concentration in Imaging Applications - An embodiment of a system is proposed for imaging a body part including a tissue, the body part being perfused with a contrast agent. The system includes means for providing a sequence of original images offering a digital representation over time of the body-part, each original image including a plurality of original values each one indicative of a response to an interrogation signal of a corresponding location of the body-part possibly including the contrast agent with a contribution of the tissue substantially reduced. The system further includes means for generating an overlaid image for each one of a set of selected original images, for each one of a set of selected locations the overlaid image including an overlaid value consisting of a) a linearized value derived from the corresponding original value to be substantially proportional to a concentration of the contrast agent in the selected location when the linearized value reaches a predefined threshold, or otherwise b) a compressed value depending non-linearly on the corresponding response to the interrogation signal; and means for displaying the overlaid images in succession. | 12-31-2009 |
20110015522 | QUANTIFICATION ANALYSIS OF IMMOBILIZED CONTRAST AGENT IN MEDICAL IMAGING APPLICATIONS - An embodiment of a solution is proposed for analyzing a body part of a patient, which is perfused with a contrast agent capable of circulating within the patient and of being substantially immobilized on a biological target. An embodiment of a corresponding system includes means for providing an echo signal indicative of a response over time to an interrogation signal of the body part, means for associating the echo signal with a model function of time modeling an evolution over time of the contrast agent in the body part, the model function including a combination of a circulation function modeling the circulation of the contrast agent and a decay function modeling a decay of the echo signal from the immobilized contrast agent, and means for estimating at least one kinetics indicator of the contrast agent from the model function. | 01-20-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090253986 | Detection of Immobilized Contrast Agent in Medical Imaging Applications Based on Flow Dynamics Analysis - A system for facilitating the detection of an immobilized contrast agent in medical imaging applications is proposed. The system includes means for providing a sequence of a total number of input images obtained at corresponding acquisition instants by imaging a body-part of a patient subjected to an administration of a contrast agent capable of circulating within the patient and of being substantially immobilized on a biological target, each input image including a plurality of input values each one indicative of a response to an interrogation signal of a corresponding portion of the body-part possibly including said contrast agent, and means for reducing a contribution of the circulating contrast agent within the body-part in at least one selected input image; the means for reducing includes means for creating a filtered image corresponding to each selected input image by replacing a set of input values of the selected input image with a set of corresponding filtered values, each filtered value being representative of the lowest response of the corresponding portion of the body-part in a set of multiple input images including the selected input image, the set of multiple input images consisting of a number of input images lower than the total number. | 10-08-2009 |
20090304593 | DETECTION OF THE DETACHMENT OF IMMOBILIZED CONTRAST AGENT IN MEDICAL IMAGING APPLICATIONS - An embodiment of a solution is proposed for imaging a body-part that is perfused with a contrast agent. A corresponding method includes the step of providing a sequence of input images (for example, acquired with an ultrasound scanner); the input images offer a digital representation over time of the body-part. Each input image includes a plurality of input values (i.e., pixel or voxel values); each input value is indicative of a response to an interrogation signal (such as an echo signal for ultrasound waves) of a corresponding location of the body-part, which possibly includes the contrast agent. The method further includes the step of generating at least one filtered image from a plurality of selected ones of the input images (such as all of them or a subset thereof). Each filtered image includes a filtered value for each of a plurality of selected ones of the locations (for example, in a region of interest, or ROI). The filtered value of each selected location is indicative of the contrast agent that leaves the selected location after being substantially stationary at the selected location for a period of time, which is comprised between a first non-zero threshold and a second threshold higher than the first threshold (such as because the contrast agent detaches from the location after having been immobilized thereon, or because it was moving very slowly). The filtered value is obtained by reducing, where present, a contribution of the contrast agent that is substantially stationary at the selected location along the selected input images for a period of time equal to or shorter than the first threshold, and by reducing a contribution of the contrast agent that is substantially stationary at the selected location along the selected input images for a period of time equal to or longer than the second threshold. | 12-10-2009 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080286285 | Methods for Treating Vascular Disease - Compositions and methods included herein describe the treatment of atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases such as thrombosis, restenosis after angioplasty and/or stenting, and vein-graft disease after bypass surgery, by inhibition of the expression or biologic activity of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and/or myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88). TLR4 cell signal transduction is at least partially responsible for the manifestation, continuation, and/or worsening of atherosclerosis and other forms of vascular disease. The present invention provides several means with which to inhibit this signal transduction pathway by affecting the biological activity of the TLR4 receptor and/or MyD88. | 11-20-2008 |
20110104210 | USE OF TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR LIGANDS AS ADJUVANTS TO VACCINATION THERAPY FOR BRAIN TUMORS - Compositions comprising dendritic cells pulsed with tumor lysate and at least one toll-like receptor (TLR) ligand which may be used for eliciting a specific immune response in a mammal in need thereof for treating diseases including a tumor are disclosed. Also disclose are methods of activating dendritic cells, comprising providing at least one toll-like receptor (TLR) ligand; and pulsing a dendentic cell with the at least one TLR ligand. A method further comprises pulsing the dendritic cell with a tumor lysate. | 05-05-2011 |
20110274708 | SHORT-FORM HUMAN MD-2 AS A NEGATIVE REGULATOR OF TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 4 SIGNALING - The present invention is based on a novel, alternatively spliced human isoform of MD-2 (MD-2s). In addition, the present invention relates to modified MD-2 proteins, wherein one or more tyrosine residues have been mutated to phenylalanine. In various embodiments, the invention relates to methods and kits for preventing, reducing the likelihood of developing and/or treating various conditions using MD-2s. The invention also describes methods of determining the risk of a subject to various conditions. | 11-10-2011 |
20140045775 | SHORT-FORM HUMAN MD-2 AS A NEGATIVE REGULATOR OF TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 4 SIGNALING - The present invention is based on a novel, alternatively spliced human isoform of MD-2 (MD-2s). In addition, the present invention relates to modified MD-2 proteins, wherein one or more tyrosine residues have been mutated to phenylalanine. In various embodiments, the invention relates to methods and kits for preventing, reducing the likelihood of developing and/or treating various conditions using MD-2s. The invention also describes methods of determining the risk of a subject to various conditions. | 02-13-2014 |
20140302097 | USE OF TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR LIGANDS AS ADJUVANTS TO VACCINATION THERAPY FOR BRAIN TUMORS - Compositions comprising dendritic cells pulsed with tumor lysate and at least one toll-like receptor (TLR) ligand which may be used for eliciting a specific immune response in a mammal in need thereof for treating diseases including a tumor are disclosed. Also disclose are methods of activating dendritic cells, comprising providing at least one toll-like receptor (TLR) ligand; and pulsing a dendritic cell with the at least one TLR ligand. A method further comprises pulsing the dendritic cell with a tumor lysate. | 10-09-2014 |