Patent ID: 6898453

Claim:
A method for determining tissue type, said method comprising: quantitatively determining a tissue blood flow (TBF) by deconvoluting Q(t) and C a (t), where Q(t) is a tissue residue function and represents a curve of specific mass of contrast in tissue, and C a (t) represents an arterial curve of contrast concentration for a tissue having a blood stream containing a contrast without leaking the contrast into an interstitial space of the tissue by solving a matrix equation of Q=Ah for a vector h, and determining a least squares solution for the vector h under an equality constraint, wherein vector h includes a plurality of elements comprising an impulse residue function at different times Q comprises a vector including elements comprising values of a tissue residue function at different times, A comprises a matrix formed by values of the arterial curve of contrast concentration at different times; quantitatively determining a tissue blood volume (TBV) by deconvoluting Q(t) and C a (t), quantitatively determining a TBV comprises quantitatively determining a TBV for the tissue by solving the matrix equation of Q=Ah for the vector h, and determining a least squares solution for the vector h under an equality constraint; quantitatively determining a tissue mean transit time (TMTT) by deconvoluting Q(t) and C a (t), quantitatively determining a TMTT comprises quantitatively determining a TMTT for the tissue by solving the matrix equation of Q=Ah for the vector h, and determining a least squares solution for the vector h under an equality constraint; and determining a tissue type based on the TBF, the TBV, and the TMTT.