Claims
- 1. An apparatus for diagnosing the pulmonary ventilation function of the lungs of the patient, comprising:
- a. detecting means for detecting the breathing cycle of said patient;
- b. contrast-medium supply means for supplying, in response to said detecting means, a gaseous contrast medium to said patient for inspiration into said lungs;
- c. scanning means for CT-scanning said patient during one breathing cycle in response to said detecting means to obtain tomographic image data representing a plurality of images of said lungs;
- d. storage means for storing said image data;
- e. means for dectecting CT values of the stored image data for at least two of said images and comparing said CT values with at least one predetermined CT value which corresponds to the CT value of image data of a blood vessel to identify image data which corresponds to blood vessels;
- f. means for distinguishing said image data with CT values which exceed said at least one predetermined CT value from the rest of said image data to thereby distinguish said image data corresponding to blood vessels; and
- g. means for displaying at least one tomographic image from said image data, together with an indication of said areas of said lungs which correspond to said blood vessels.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said contrast-medium supply means comprises means for feeding the gaseous contrast medium, said feeding means being provided with an outlet portion and with valve means arranged at said outlet portion of said feeding means to open and close in response to said breathing cycle detecting means, and said scanning means comprises a CT scanner for performing rotary scanning of the lungs.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said scanner comprises a high-speed CT scanner for obtaining at least 10 tomographic images during one breathing cycle.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting CT values comprises first memory means for storing first tomographic image data corresponding to one tomographic image, means for reading out said one tomographic image data from said first memory means in units of pixels having CT values, comparing said CT values of said pixels with a first reference predetermined CT value and with a smaller second reference predetermined CT value, an classifying said one tomographic image data into first, second, and third regions depending on whether said CT values of said image data are greater than said first reference CT value, less than said first reference CT value and greater than said second reference CT value, and less than said second reference CT value, and second memory means for selectively storing the first, second, and third regions classified by said classifying means, and for causing said display means to display the information stored in said second memory means.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display means comprises means for displaying image data corresponding to the first, second, and third regions, in the form of different colors.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display means comprises means for displaying image data corresponding to the first, second, and third regions, in the form of different brightness levels.
- 7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting CT values comprises first memory means for storing first tomographic image data corresponding to one tomographic image, means for reading out said one tomographic image data from said first memory means in units of pixels having CT values, means for comparing said CT value of said pixels with a first reference predetermined CT value and a second, greater reference predetermined CT value, and selecting said one tomographic image with CT values less than said first reference CT value and greater than said second reference CT value, second memory means for storing the selected tomographic image data, and means for causing said display means to display the information stored in said second memory means.
- 8. An apparatus for diagnosing the pulmonary ventilation function of the lungs of a patient, comprising:
- a. contrast-medium supply means for supplying a gaseous contrast medium to said patient for inspiration into said lungs;
- b. scanning means for CT-scanning said patient to obtain tomographic image data of said lungs after inspiration of said gaseous contrast medium into said lungs;
- c. means for storing said image data;
- d. means for detecting CT values of said stored image data and comparing said CT values with at least one predetermined CT value which corresponds to the CT value of image data of a blood vessel; and
- e. means for eliminating said image data with CT values which exceed said at least one predetermined CT value to thereby eliminate said image data corresponding to blood vessels.
- 9. An apparatus of claim 8 including means for displaying a tomographic image from said remaining image data together with an indication of said areas of said lungs which fail to ventilate normally.
- 10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said detecting means comprises a flow sensor arranged in a mask attached to the patient.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
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Kind |
61-83333 |
Apr 1986 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/033,629, filed Apr. 3, 1987 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0037722 |
Oct 1981 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Herbert, David L., et al. Mapping of Human Local Pulmonary Ventilation by Xenon Enhanced Computed Tomography, Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 6(6):1088-1093 Dec. 1982. |
Gur, David, et al., Regional Pulmonary Ventilation Measurements by Xenon Enhanced Dynamic Computed Tomography: An Update, Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography 5(5) 678-683, Oct. 1981. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
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Parent |
33629 |
Apr 1987 |
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