AUTOMATED GAS ENHANCED VASCULAR IMAGING

血管内注射造影剂是事实上的标准 血管闭塞性疾病的诊断方法。这些特工有 渗透性、化学毒性和过敏风险。取代气体作为 造影剂有很大的潜力避免这些公认的 高安全性的常规造影剂解决方案的局限性。 自动血管内注射各种气体使 发展具有多种成像模式的新型成像方法 (CT、超声波、核磁共振等)。特别是，顺序和 伴随而来的静脉内注射气体的积聚 单次屏气时肺微血管和肺泡内的微血管 为直接灌流提供了一种潜在的自我增强机制 成像。 我们建议开发一种安全的静脉注气装置 在模拟和动物的肺血管系统中的气体。 我们的目标是实现自动注气作为一种 替代液体血管内造影剂，实现更大的安全性， 更好的成像性能，并可能减少或消除 辐射。将对气体喷射器的原型进行性能测试 为了可靠和安全地输送二氧化碳，非极化稳定的Xe，以及 体外流动回路中的超极化Xe。活体成像 将使用时间卷来评估和优化性能 无肺栓子猪和有肺栓子猪的图像显示与分析。 电子束电影CT将与二氧化碳和稳定Xe的注射一起使用， 磁共振成像将与超极化Xe注射一起使用。 完成后，该项目将提供一个具有良好特点的自动化 已知给药成像性能的气体注射装置 各种气体的混合物。这台设备应该可以申请评估 非侵入性和非侵入性的血管造影诊断肺栓塞 潜在无辐射三维血管成像 最好选择不同的方式。这种方法可以扩展到天然气- 整个血管系统的增强成像和腔内气体增强 治疗应用。

Intravascular injection of contrast solutions is the de facto standard method for diagnosis of vasoocclusive disease. These agents have osmolar, chemotoxic, and anaphylactic risks. Substitution of gas as contrast medium has significant potential to avoid these recognized limitations of conventional contrast media solutions with high safety. Automated intravascular injection of various gases enables the development of novel imaging approaches with multiple imaging modalities (CT, ultrasound, MRI, and others). In particular, sequential and concomitant accumulation of intravenously injected gases in the pulmonary microvasculature and in the alveoli during single breath-hold offers a potential self-enhancing mechanism for direct perfusion imaging. We propose to develop an instrument for safe intravenous gas injection of gases in simulations and in the pulmonary vasculature of animals. Our goal is to realize the potential of automated gas injection as an alternative to liquid intravascular contrast and achieve greater safety, better imaging performance, and possible reduction or elimination of radiation. The performance of a prototype gas injector will be tested for reliable and safe delivery of CO2, nonpolarized stable Xe, and hyperpolarized Xe in an ex-vivo flow circuit. In vivo imaging performance will be evaluated and optimized using temporal Volumetric Image Display and Analysis in pigs without and with pulmonary emboli. Electron beam cine-CT will be used with injections of CO2 and stable Xe, MRI will be used with injections of hyperpolarized Xe. On completion, this project will provide a well characterized automated gas injection device with known imaging performance on administration of various gases. This device should find application for assessment of pulmonary embolism with contrast angiography when noninvasive and potentially radiation free three- dimensional vascular imaging modalities are preferred. The methodology can be expanded to gas- enhanced imaging of the entire vasculature and endoluminal gas-enhanced therapeutic applications.