Method and device for recording a vascular struture during intervention

1. A method for vascular intervention, comprising

triggering an injection of a contrast agent provided to the vicinity of a device landmark;

imaging the vicinity of the device landmark for a predetermined time after the trigger;

displaying an image of the vicinity of the device landmark;

generating during the predetermined time after the trigger a tip-over-surrounding and a vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves based on the monitored vicinity of the device landmark;

computing a time-dependent visibility index curve from the tip-over-surrounding and vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves, wherein the time-dependent visibility index curve has a maximum, thereby determining a best instant for visibility; and

holding the displayed image of the vicinity of the device landmark at the best instant until the next trigger injection of the contrast agent;

wherein the best instant is the time at the maximum of the time-dependent visibility index curve which is the product of the tip-over-surrounding and vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves; wherein the tip-over-surrounding time-contrast curve combines an average grey level on the tip and an average grey level on both sides of the tip; and wherein the vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curve combines an average grey level on both sides of the tip with grey levels on a side of the vessel away from the tip.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device landmark is a guide wire tip or a stenosis balloon mark.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising constantly detecting and locating the device landmark.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising imaging a fluoroscopic run of a vascular intervention with respect to detection of a contrast agent injection.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising outputting a visibility index curve as a Boolean indicator.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring gray-level values around the device landmark.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the image of the vicinity of the device landmark together with a lesion.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying an image of a zoomed area of interest.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the image on a secondary monitor.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for performing the steps of:

triggering an injection of a contrast agent provided to the vicinity of a device landmark in a vascular intervention;

imaging the vicinity of the device landmark for a predetermined time after the trigger;

displaying an image of the vicinity of the device landmark;

generating during the predetermined time after the trigger a tip-over-surrounding and a vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves based on the monitored vicinity of the device landmark;

computing a time-dependent visibility index curve having a maximum from the tip-over-surrounding and vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves, thereby determining a best instant for visibility; and

holding the displayed image of the vicinity of the device landmark at the best instant until the next trigger injection of the contrast agent;

wherein the best instant is the time at the maximum of the time-dependent visibility index curve which is the product of the tip-over-surrounding and vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves; wherein the tip-over-surrounding time-contrast curve combines an average grey level on the tip and an average grey level on both sides of the tip; and wherein the vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curve combines an average grey level on both sides of the tip with grey levels on a side of the vessel away from the tip.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the device landmark is a guide wire tip or a stenosis balloon mark.

12. A device for vascular intervention, comprising

a detector that triggers an injection of a contrast agent provided to the vicinity of a device landmark;

a fluoroscope that obtains grey level values in the vicinity of the device landmark for a predetermined time after the trigger;

a fluoroscope processor that processes a tip-over-surrounding time-contrast curve and a vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curve based on the grey levels obtained in imaging of the vicinity of the device landmark during the predetermined time after the trigger and that computes a time-dependent visibility index curve having a maximum from the tip-over-surrounding and vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves, thereby determining a best instant for visibility; and

a display that holds a displayed image of the vicinity of the device landmark at the best instant until the next trigger injection of the contrast agent;

wherein the best instant is the time at the maximum of the time-dependent visibility index curve which is the product of the tip-over-surrounding and vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curves; wherein the tip-over-surrounding time-contrast curve combines an average grey level on the tip and an average grey level on both sides of the tip; and wherein the vessel-over-surrounding time-contrast curve combines an average grey level on both sides of the tip with grey levels on a side of the vessel away from the tip.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the device landmark is a guide wire tip or a stenosis balloon mark.