Method and computational unit for measuring the flow rate of a contrast agent in a vessel of a patient

• Main Authors: GRASRUCK MICHAEL, SCHMIDT BERNHARD
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.04.2009
• Subjects: DIAGNOSIS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; SURGERY

A method and a computational unit are disclosed for measuring the flow rate of a contrast agent in a vessel of a patient by way of a computed tomography examination. The patient is scanned by x-rays emitted in a fan-shape from two planes and the absorption from a multiplicity of rotational angles is determined while the contrast agent propagates through the at least one vessel. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, a three-dimensional data record of local absorption data with the vessel which can be filled by a contrast agent is reconstructed; a set of x-rays which pass through this vessel is determined for a multiplicity of temporally subsequent rotational angles of the x-rays. By determining the changing absorption values along this vessel from the temporally subsequent vessel/ray-sets, the propagation velocity of the contrast agent in this vessel can be determined from the spatial and temporal change in the absorption values in this vessel.