A method of remote monitoring of vital signs by detecting the PPG signal in an image of a subject taken by a video camera such as a webcam. The PPG signal is identified by auto-regressive analysis of ambient light reflected from a region of interest on the subject's skin. Frequency components of the ambient light and aliasing artefacts resulting from the frame rate of the video camera are cancelled by auto-regressive analysis of ambient light reflected from a region of interest not on the subject's skin, e.g. in the background. This reveals the spectral content of the ambient light allowing identification of the subject's PPG signal. Heart rate, oxygen saturation and breathing rate are obtained from the PPG signal. The values can be combined into a wellness index based on a statistical analysis of the values.

Disclosed are methods and systems for calculating a contrast reagent (CR) extravasation rate constant and generating a contrast reagent leakage corrected relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) image map of a brain region from dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) time-course image data based on pharmacokinetic first principles. In one example approach, a computerized method may include performing a linearization transform of a DSC MRI time-course equation which accounts for an intravascular contribution and an extravasating component, and calculating CR leakage from a slope of a linear portion of the transformed data.

A system (100) and method are provided for determining an effective cross-sectional area of a tubular cardiovascular structure (400), which may be used in the assessment of blood flow through the tubular cardiovascular structure. Said determining comprises obtaining a three-dimensional Image'of the tubular cardiovascular structure, segmenting the image to obtain a segmentation of the lumen inside the tubular cardiovascular structure, and determining a centerline (430) of the tubular cardiovascular structure. Then, using the segmentation of the lumen, an apparent flow aperture of the tubular cardiovascular structure is determined in the direction of the centerline, e.g., by projecting the segmentation along the direction of the centerline and determining the area in the projection which is free of projected parts. In contrast to area planimetry, the apparent flow aperture does not overestimate the effective cross-sectional area of the tubular cardiovascular structure, and thus may be used to provide a better estimate of the effective cross-sectional area of said cardiovascular structure.

An image processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes storage circuitry and processing circuitry. The storage circuitry stores therein fluid resistance data representing a correlation among a vascular shape, a blood flow rate, and a pressure loss. The processing circuitry extracts, from three-dimensional image data in which a blood vessel of a subject is rendered, vascular shape data representing a shape of the blood vessel. The processing circuitry performs fluid analysis based on the vascular shape data and the blood flow rate and the pressure loss that correspond to the vascular shape data and that are correlated by the fluid resistance data to derive a functional index related to a blood circulation state in the blood vessel of the subject.

Vessel perfusion and myocardial blush are determined by analyzing fluorescence signals obtained in a static region-of-interest (ROI) in a collection of fluorescence images of myocardial tissue. The blush value is determined from the total intensity of the intensity values of image elements located within the smallest contiguous range of image intensity values containing a predefined fraction of a total measured image intensity of all image elements within the ROI. Vessel (arterial) peak intensity is determined from image elements located within the ROI that have the smallest contiguous range of highest measured image intensity values and contain a predefined fraction of a total measured image intensity of all image elements within the ROI. Cardiac function can be established by comparing the time differential between the time of peak intensity in a blood vessel and that in a region of neighboring myocardial tissue both pre and post procedure.

A method for imaging a flowing media within static regions includes obtaining a plurality of signals using the speckle properties of the flowing media. The plurality of signals are compared to one another such as by subtraction. The static regions are removed from the plurality of signals by the comparison. The remaining signals are combined (such as by summing) to produce an image of the flowing media.

This shape data generation method include: setting an input shape that has a simple shape that has a same topology as the target shape for a target shape that is a shape of a transformation target identified from image data; identifying first vertices that satisfy a predetermined condition including a first condition that a normal line of a certain vertex of the plural vertices crosses with the target shape, among plural vertices of the input shape; transforming the input shape so that a first vertex is moved in a direction of a normal line of the first vertex by a first distance that is shorter than a distance up to the target shape; and performing the identifying and the transforming a predetermined number of times while changing the input shape after the transforming as the input shape to be processed.

Systems and methods are disclosed for correcting for artificial deformations in anatomical modeling. One method includes obtaining an anatomic model; obtaining information indicating a presence of an artificial deformation of the anatomic model; identifying a portion of the anatomic model associated with the artificial deformation; estimating a non-deformed local area corresponding to the portion of the anatomic model; and modifying the portion of the anatomic model associated with the artificial deformation, based on the estimated non-deformed local area.

An image region mapping device captures a blood vessel through which a contrast medium is passing, serially at first and second photographing angles to acquire plural image sets each including first and second projection images captured at the angles, respectively acquires brightness change information on the medium for a predetermined time period in a first image region and each of a plurality of second image regions after a bifurcation on the first projection image each of a plurality of second image regions after the bifurcation on the second projection image in each image set, the second image regions being candidates corresponding to the first image region, calculates a similarity degree between the information acquired earlier and each information piece acquired later, determines one of the second image regions in accordance with the calculated similarity degrees, and maps the plural vessel image regions.

A comprehensive strategy is used to determine valid reference time-concentration curves (TCCs) from image data. The image data corresponds to a series of image scans acquired over time for an area of interest of a patient to which a contrast agent was previously administered. The image scans are initially registered to a common coordinate system. Then, observed potential reference TCCs in the image scans are compared to modeled reference TCCs to determine if the potential reference TCCs are plausible reference TCCs. Thereafter, any plausible reference TCCs are evaluated to determine if they contain residual, isolated motion artifacts. If a plausible reference TCC does not include any motion artifacts, the plausible reference TCC is considered a valid reference TCC. If a plausible reference TCC is determined to include motion artifacts, the plausible reference TCC is modified to a valid reference TCC by removing the motion artifacts, or otherwise the plausible reference TCC is rejected. The valid reference TCCs can be used to improve the effectiveness of dynamic, contrast-enhanced imaging studies.