Patent ID: 6176838
Filing Date: 2001-01-23
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A method for measuring a hepatic blood flow amount, comprising the steps of:detecting a change in xenon concentration by supplying a mixed gas of xenon gas and oxygen gas to a lung of a specimen for a certain period of time using a gas inhalator so that said change in xenon concentration in respective regions of liver tissue of said specimen is detected by generating picture element data corresponding to said respective regions using an X-ray CT system;calculating blood flow amounts based on said picture element data to determine a hepatic arterial blood flow amount and a portal blood flow amount in each of said respective regions by using a processing unit, on the basis of the fact that said xenon concentration in said liver tissue is determined by a xenon concentration in a hepatic arterial blood flow and a xenon concentration in a portal blood flow; anddisplaying on a display unit tomographic images of said liver as represented by said plurality of picture elements obtained by said X-ray CT system, said tomographic images comprising a hepatic arterial blood flow map and a portal blood flow map, wherein said hepatic arterial blood flow map shows the hepatic arterial blood flow amount in each of said respective regions of liver tissue, and said portal blood flow map shows the portal blood flow amount in each of said respective regions of liver tissue.