US2017095218A1PendingUtilityA1

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Imaging Method

43
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Apr 30, 2012Filed: Nov 14, 2016Published: Apr 6, 2017
Est. expiryApr 30, 2032(~5.8 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Elazar A. Bienenstock
A61B 5/02028A61B 6/5217A61B 6/5264A61K 51/025A61B 6/5235A61B 6/503A61B 6/037A61B 5/4884A61B 6/504A61B 6/507A61B 6/486A61B 2090/392A61K 51/02
43
PatentIndex Score
0
Cited by
0
References
0
Claims

Abstract

A SPECT diagnostic method of performing myocardial perfusion imaging on a patient, the method comprising the steps of: administering a rest radiotracer to the patient while the patient is at rest; scanning the heart of the patient, with the patient positioned at a scanning position, to obtain a rest perfusion image; administering a stressing agent to the patient to place the patient's heart under stress; administering a stress radiotracer while the heart of the patient is under stress; scanning the heart to obtain a stress perfusion image; maintaining the patient at the scanning position from the commencement of the rest perfusion image through the completion of the stress perfusion image.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A SPECT diagnostic method of performing myocardial perfusion imaging on a patient, the method comprising the steps of:
 (A) administering a rest radiotracer to the patient while the patient is at rest;   (B) scanning the heart of the patient, with the patient positioned at a scanning position, to obtain a rest perfusion image;   (C) administering a stressing agent to the patient to place the patient's heart under stress;   (D) administering a stress radiotracer while the heart of the patient is under stress;   (E) scanning the heart to obtain a stress perfusion image; and   (F) maintaining the patient at the scanning position from the commencement of said step (B) through the completion of said step (E),   whereby the alignment of the rest perfusion image and the stress perfusion image is facilitated.   
     
     
         2 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of, after step (A), scanning the heart to obtain rest heart pumping ability information. 
     
     
         3 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of, after step (C), and while the patient's heart is under stress scanning the heart to obtain stress heart pumping ability information. 
     
     
         4 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein step (C) is commenced after step (B) is completed. 
     
     
         5 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein step (B) continues to be executed during execution of steps (C), (D) and (E). 
     
     
         6 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rest radiotracer comprises a Technetium-based radiopharmaceutical. 
     
     
         7 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the stress radiotracer comprises Thallium. 
     
     
         8 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the stress radiotracer comprises a Technetium-based radiopharmaceutical. 
     
     
         9 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the rest radiotracer comprises Thallium. 
     
     
         10 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rest radiotracer comprises Thallium, and the stress radiotracer comprises a Technetium-based radiopharmaceutical. 
     
     
         11 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the rest heart pumping ability information comprises at least one of rest wall motion information and rest left ventricle ejection fraction information. 
     
     
         12 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the stress heart pumping ability information comprises at least one of stress wall motion information and stress left ventricle ejection fraction information. 
     
     
         13 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the stress heart pumping ability information includes end systolic volume and end diastolic volume. 
     
     
         14 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the stressing agent comprises a stress pharmaceutical selected from dipyridamole, dobutamine, adenosine and regadenosone. 
     
     
         15 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the stress pharmaceutical comprises dipyridamole. 
     
     
         16 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the stressing agent comprises a non-pharmaceutical stressing agent selected from a group consisting of cold presser testing, mental stress and handgrip exercise. 
     
     
         17 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein all of steps (A)-(E) are completed in 20 minutes or less. 
     
     
         18 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the stress radiotracer comprises Thallium, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of (1) prior to step (D), taking a pre-stress-scan image in Thallium's energy window, and (2) after step (E), subtracting the pre-stress-scan image from the stress perfusion image to obtain a refined stress perfusion image; whereby an effect of Technetium crosstalk in the Thallium energy window is minimized. 
     
     
         19 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein step (D) comprises administering a stress dose of a Technetium-based radiopharmaceutical, wherein step (A) comprises administering a rest dose of a Technetium-based radiopharmaceutical, the stress dose being greater than the rest dose, and wherein the method further comprises the step of subtracting the rest perfusion image from the stress perfusion image to obtain a refined stress perfusion image. 
     
     
         20 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the step of performing steps (A) through (F) on a patient of a hospital emergency room having symptoms of heart disease. 
     
     
         21 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the step of obtaining stress heart pumping ability information comprises obtaining stress GSPECT images twice or more. 
     
     
         22 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein step (E) comprises performing two or more consecutive short perfusion scans, and combining data from the two or more short scans to produce the stress perfusion image. 
     
     
         23 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 22 , step (E) further comprising using the two or more short perfusion scans to detect and correct patient movement during the performance of step (E). 
     
     
         24 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the step of scanning the heart to obtain stress heart pumping ability information is started before step (D), with the stress heart pumping ability information being obtained using the rest radiotracer. 
     
     
         25 . A SPECT diagnostic method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said step (F) comprises maintaining the patient at the scanning position from the commencement of said step (A) through the completion of said step (E).

Join the waitlist — get patent alerts

Track US2017095218A1 — get alerts on status changes and closely related new filings.

We store only your email — no account needed. See our privacy policy.