Perfusion paths: Inference of voxelwise blood flow trajectories in CT perfusion

Abstract

In CT perfusion imaging (CTP) multiple, consecutive 3D CT scans of an organ are made during the administration of contrast agent. This results in a 3D movie of the contrast agent entering and subsequently leaving the organ. Currently, this modality is mainly used for voxelwise analysis of perfusion parameters such as blood flow, blood volume, transit time etc. In this work, we propose to analyze these images in a more global fashion and introduce a method to infer the connectivity of the vascular structure underlying the perfusion – even if the vasculature itself is on a subvoxel scale. This novel approach enables several new applications for CTP. The feasibility of the method is illustrated on clinical data.