Medical image and vessel characteristic data processing system

1. An image data processing system, comprising:

an interface for acquiring a sequence of images of patient vessels both prior to and following introduction of contrast agent into the vessels and for subtracting a mask image representing background detail in the absence of a contrast agent to produce data representing a DSA sequence of digitally subtracted images enhancing vessel structure;

an image data processor for determining individual minimum luminance intensity level values of individual images of said DSA sequence and using the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that a first one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts an arterial phase of blood flow, that a second one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts a venous phase of blood flow, and that a third one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts a capillary phase of blood flow; and

an output processor for automatically assigning an attribute to each of the individual images of said DSA sequence to identify a vessel phase depicted by the individual images of said DSA sequence.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor identifies a plurality of images in said DSA sequence as substantially displaying arteries, comprising images between the start of the arterial phase image and an image in said DSA sequence associated with start of said contrast agent flow into said capillaries.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor identifies a plurality of images in said DSA sequence as substantially displaying veins comprising images following an image in said DSA sequence associated with end of said contrast agent flow in said capillaries and preceding start of a new arterial phase.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said output processor automatically generates either individual images or a single composite image that separately identifies the arteries, capillaries, and veins.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically identifies an image transition from said first phase comprising an arterial phase of blood flow to a second phase comprising a capillary phase and

said image data processor automatically identifies an image transition from said second phase comprising a capillary phase of blood flow to a third phase comprising a venous phase.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically allocates different visual attributes to identify blood flow in an image associated with arterial, capillary and venous phase.

7. A system according to claim 6 , wherein

the image data different visual attributes comprise at least one of different colors, different shading, different highlighting, different background and different foreground.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically allocates different visual attributes to identify blood flow in an image associated with at least two of arterial, capillary and venous phases and

the image data different visual attributes comprise at least one of different colors, different shading, different highlighting, different background and different foreground.

9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

in an inverted luminance configuration,

said image data processor determines and uses individual maximum luminance intensity level values to determine that an image in said DSA sequence depicting a first transition to an arterial phase of blood flow by identifying a first image in said DSA sequence having a plurality of pixels with a maximum luminance intensity level lower than a threshold level associated with a background luminance intensity level.

10. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said output processor automatically generates a single composite image that identifies two or more of, artery, capillary, and vein vessel phases.

11. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said DSA sequence comprises a two dimensional (2D) or a three dimensional (3D) DSA image sequence.

12. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said minimum luminance intensity level comprises a maximum luminance intensity level for a negative contrast agent.

13. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor uses the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that an image in said DSA sequence depicts a start of an arterial phase of blood flow by identifying a first image in said DSA sequence having a plurality of pixels with a minimum luminance intensity level lower than a threshold level associated with a background luminance intensity level.

14. A system according to claim 13 , wherein

said background luminance intensity level substantially comprises a minimum luminance intensity level associated with a mask image.

15. A system according to claim 13 , wherein

said threshold level is selected as a luminance intensity level lower than the lowest minimum luminance intensity level of the image in said sequence acquired prior to said introduction of said contrast agent into the vessels.

16. A system according to claim 13 , wherein

said image data processor uses the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that an image in said DSA sequence is a maximum capillary blush image having a maximum of said minimum luminance intensity level values of images following said image in said DSA sequence depicting said start of an arterial phase of blood flow.

17. A system according to claim 16 , wherein

said image data processor,

identifies a range of said minimum luminance intensity level values associated with said maximum capillary blush image and

identifies a plurality of images in said DSA sequence associated with contrast agent flow substantially exclusively into capillaries in response to the identified range.

18. A system according to claim 17 , wherein

the identified range of said minimum luminance intensity level values comprises a proportion of said minimum luminance intensity level value of the maximum capillary blush image.

19. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said proportion of the maximum of said minimum luminance intensity level values comprises at least one of, (a) a predetermined proportion and (b) a proportion determined based on a determined rate of contrast agent flow in the anatomy of the patient.

20. A system according to claim 16 , wherein

said image data processor,

identifies a number of pixels having said minimum luminance intensity level value associated with said maximum capillary blush image and

identifies a plurality of images in said DSA sequence associated with contrast agent flow substantially exclusively into capillaries in response to the identified number of pixels.

21. A system according to claim 20 , wherein

the identified plurality of images in said DSA sequence comprises images having a predetermined proportion of a frequency of occurrence of pixels having said minimum luminance intensity level value of said maximum capillary blush image.

22. A system according to claim 16 , wherein

said image data processor uses the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that an image in said DSA sequence depicts an end of the arterial phase of blood flow by identifying an image in said DSA sequence having a minimum luminance intensity level value comprising a minimum of said minimum luminance intensity level values in said DSA sequence of images following said image in said DSA sequence depicting the start of the arterial phase and preceding said maximum capillary blush image.

23. A system according to claim 22 , wherein

said image data processor identifies a plurality of images in said DSA sequence as substantially exclusively displaying arteries, comprising images in said DSA sequence following said start of the arterial phase image up to, and inclusive of, the end of the arterial phase image.

24. A system according to claim 16 , wherein

said image data processor uses the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that an image in said DSA sequence depicts an end of the venous phase of blood flow by identifying a first image in said DSA sequence having a plurality of pixels with a minimum luminance intensity level above a threshold level associated with a background luminance intensity level of images following said image in said maximum capillary blush image.

25. A system according to claim 24 , wherein

said background luminance intensity level substantially comprises a minimum luminance intensity level associated with a mask image.

26. A system according to claim 24 , wherein

said threshold level is selected as a luminance intensity level lower than the lowest minimum luminance intensity level of the image in said sequence acquired prior to introduction of said contrast agent into the vessels.

27. A system according to claim 24 , wherein

said image data processor uses the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that an image in said DSA sequence depicts a start of the venous phase of blood flow by identifying an image in said DSA sequence having a plurality of pixels with a minimum luminance intensity level that is the lowest minimum luminance intensity level of images in said DSA sequence following said maximum capillary blush image and preceding said image in said DSA sequence depicting the end of the venous phase.

28. A system according to claim 24 , wherein

said image data processor identifies a plurality of images in said DSA sequence as substantially exclusively displaying veins comprising images following said image in said DSA sequence associated with the start of the venous phase and preceding, the image in said DSA sequence associated with the end of the venous phase.

29. A system according to claim 13 , wherein

said plurality of pixels comprise a minimum number of pixels to reduce impact of noise.

30. A system according to claim 29 , wherein

said minimum number of pixels comprises at least four pixels.

31. An image data processing method comprising:

determining individual minimum luminance intensity level values of individual images of the DSA image sequence;

using the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that a first one or more of the individual images of said DSA image sequence depicts an arterial phase of blood flow, that a second one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts a venous phase of blood flow, and that a third one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts a capillary phase of blood flow; and

automatically assigning an attribute to each of the individual images of said DSA sequence to identify a vessel phase depicted by the individual images of said DSA image sequence.

32. A method according to claim 31 , including the activities of

acquiring a sequence of images of patient vessels both prior to and following introduction of contrast agent into the vessels and

subtracting a mask image representing background detail in the absence of a contrast agent from said sequence of images to produce data representing said DSA image sequence of digitally subtracted images enhancing vessel structure;

automatically indicating an image of said digitally subtracted Angiography (DSA) image sequence depicts at least one of, arterial, venous, or capillary phases of blood flow.

33. A method according to claim 31 , comprising:

determining, based on the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values, that a first image in said DSA image sequence depicts a start of arterial blood flow and includes a plurality of pixels with a minimum luminance intensity level lower than a threshold level associated with a background luminance intensity level.

34. A non-transitory storage medium of machine readable instructions executable to:

determine individual minimum luminance intensity level values of individual images of the DSA image sequence;

using the determined individual minimum luminance intensity level values to determine that a first one or more of the individual images of said DSA image sequence depicts an arterial phase of blood flow, that a second one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts a venous phase of blood flow, and that a third one or more of the individual images of said DSA sequence depicts a capillary phase of blood flow; and

automatically assigning an attribute to each of the individual images of said DSA sequence to identify a vessel phase depicted by the individual images of said DSA image sequence.