CONTRAST IMAGING AGENT WITH DISSOLVED GAS-EVOLVING FLUID
A diagnostic contrast composition includes a carrier fluid and a non-decaying gas-evolving fluid incorporated in the carrier fluid. The gas-evolving fluid has a vapor pressure sufficient to evolve the gas from a circulatory system within a lung of a patient. The gas-evolving fluid is a composition containing a sufficient quantity of atoms with an atomic number higher than 8 to provide an increased absorption sufficient to increase a Hounsfield Unit measurement in an image in a CT imaging system. The gas-evolving fluid is selected from the group consisting of xenon gas, krypton gas, sulfur hexafluoride, a perfluorocarbon, a brominated perfluorocarbon, and combinations thereof. The carrier fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, saline, saline comprising one or more blood proteins, and saline comprising dissolved lipids.
1 . A diagnostic contrast composition comprising:
a carrier fluid; and
a non-decaying gas-evolving fluid incorporated in the carrier fluid, wherein the gas-evolving fluid has a vapor pressure sufficient to evolve the gas from a circulatory system within a lung of a patient.
2 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is a composition containing a sufficient quantity of atoms with an atomic number higher than 8 to provide an increased absorption sufficient to increase a Hounsfield Unit measurement in an image in a CT imaging system.
3 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is selected from the group consisting of xenon gas, krypton gas, and combinations thereof.
4 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is selected from the group consisting of sulfur hexafluoride, a perfluorocarbon, a brominated perfluorocarbon, and combinations thereof.
5 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , wherein the carrier fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, saline, saline comprising one or more blood proteins, and saline comprising dissolved lipids.
6 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , wherein the diagnostic contrast further comprises at least one liquid or dissolved X-ray contrast imaging agent.
7 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the gas-evolving fluid is augmented by an increased pressure of the diagnostic contrast composition within a container or a delivery system.
8 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 7 , wherein the pressure is 1.5 atm to 30 atm.
9 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one concentration-augmenting composition dissolved in, suspended in, or emulsified in the carrier fluid to augment a concentration of the gas-evolving fluid.
10 . The diagnostic contrast composition of claim 9 , wherein the concentration-augmenting composition is a second gas-evolving fluid.
11 . A method for making a diagnostic contrast composition, the method comprising:
providing a carrier fluid in a pressurizable container; and
dissolving a non-decaying gas-evolving fluid in a carrier fluid, wherein the gas-evolving fluid has a vapor pressure sufficient to evolve the gas from a circulatory system within a lung of a patient.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising augmenting a concentration of the gas-evolving fluid by dissolving the gas-evolving fluid in the carrier fluid at a pressure 1.5 atm to 30 atm.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is a composition containing a sufficient quantity of atoms with an atomic number higher than 8 to provide a Hounsfield Unit measurement to affect an image in a CT imaging system.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is selected from the group consisting of xenon gas, krypton gas, or combinations thereof.
15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is selected from the group consisting of sulfur hexafluoride, a perfluorocarbon, a brominated perfluorocarbon, and combinations thereof.
16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the carrier fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, saline, saline comprising one or more blood proteins, and saline comprising dissolved lipids.
17 . (canceled)
18 . (canceled)
19 . (canceled)
20 . (canceled)
21 . A method for imaging a lung of a patient, the method comprising:
injecting a diagnostic contrast composition comprising a carrier fluid and a CT-active amount of a non-decaying gas-evolving fluid into a circulatory system of the patient wherein the gas-evolving fluid has a vapor pressure sufficient to evolve the gas from a circulatory system within a lung of a patient; and
imaging the lung using a CT medical imager to produce at least a first image of the lung,
wherein imaging the lung is performed during at least one of: an inhalation period, a breath-hold period, and an exhalation period.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein imaging the lung is performed after a predetermined delay period after injection of the diagnostic contrast composition to allow the gas-evolving fluid to be delivered to the lungs by the circulatory system of the patient.
23 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising imaging the lung to produce at least a second image of the lung after a predetermined delay period after injection of the diagnostic contrast composition,
wherein the at least the second image is collected during at least one of an inhalation period, a breath-hold period, and an exhalation period.
24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the gas-evolving fluid is selected from the group consisting of xenon gas, krypton gas, sulfur hexafluoride, a perfluorocarbon, a brominated perfluorocarbon and combinations thereof.