The present invention is related generally to diagnostic imaging, and, more particularly, to a system and method for determining scan protocols for contrast enhanced diagnostic imaging scans. Embodiments of the invention take into account various static and dynamic scan subject parameters, as well as injection process parameters and scan parameters, to coordinate the delivery of a contrast agent with the commencement of a scan sequence such that the scan sequence will coincide with the peak contrast enhancement.
Contrast-enhancement through administration of a contrast agent is well known in multiple diagnostic imaging modalities, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), x-ray, ultrasound, positron-emission tomography (PET), spectroscopy, and the like. By administering a contrast agent to a scan subject, an improvement in image quality and contrast can be achieved due to properties of the contrast agent. Types of useful contrast agents vary by imaging modality and the anatomy of interest. Two common types of contrast agents are barium, for x-ray based imaging, and gadolinium, for magnetic resonance based imaging.
The quality of many contrast-enhanced imaging procedures is substantially dependant upon the contrast agent, both in terms of image quality and scan parameters (such as radiation dosage). However, the contrast enhancement provided by a contrast agent varies according to a variety of factors influenced by the specific scan subject, the contrast injection process, and the type of scan. Since the goal of contrast-enhanced imaging is to acquire scan data while the contrast agent is providing the desired contrast enhancement, the timing of contrast agent administration with respect to the commencement of the scan sequence is important.
Typically, the procedure or protocol for a contrast-enhanced imaging scan is determined by a radiologist and technologist. No single approach for determining when and how to administer the contrast agent prior to scanning is effective in all cases. Some general timing guidelines exist for various scans and contrast agents, but an appreciable amount of guesswork is still involved. Factors which practitioners must consider include: the type of tissue to be imaged, the scan subject or patient's body size, heart rate, renal function, age, gender, and oxygen level in the blood, the injection concentration, volume, flow rate, flow pattern, duration, and use of saline, as well as the scan duration, radiation exposure, and presence and number of scan phases. Thus, an injection and scan protocol which may apply for a given scan subject may be inappropriate for a subsequent scan subject, even where the subsequent scan subject is having an identical scan and contrast administration. Further complicating the practitioner's task is the fact that, as scanner technologies advance, scan times shorten and fields of view narrow. Therefore, the timing protocol of a scan can be more complex and require more precision than a practitioner estimate can provide.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method capable of accounting for a wide variety of scan subject-specific, injection-specific, and/or scan-specific factors in determining a protocol for contrast agent injection and scanning. It would be further desirable for such system and method to automate the determination and/or execution of the protocol to the extent that such automation will improve image quality and scan subject throughput.