EMATA: a toolbox for the automatic extraction and modeling of arterial inputs for tracer kinetic analysis in [F]FDG brain studies.

Purpose: PET imaging is a pivotal tool for biomarker research aimed at personalized medicine. Leveraging the quantitative nature of PET requires knowledge of plasma radiotracer concentration. Typically, the arterial input function (AIF) is obtained through arterial cannulation, an invasive and technically demanding procedure.

A new framework for metabolic connectivity mapping using bolus [F]FDG PET and kinetic modeling.

Metabolic connectivity (MC) has been previously proposed as the covariation of static [F]FDG PET images across participants, i.e., MC (ai-MC).

Image-derived Input Function in brain [F]FDG PET data: which alternatives to the carotid siphons?

Quantification of brain [F] fluorodeoxyglucose ([F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) data requires an input function. A noninvasive alternative to gold-standard arterial sampling is the image-derived input function (IDIF), typically extracted from the internal carotid arteries (ICAs), which are however difficult to segment and subjected to spillover effects. In this work, we evaluated the feasibility of extracting the IDIF from two different vascular sites, i.

Real-time estimation of oxygen concentration in micro-hemo-vessels.

In this paper, a real-time measurement system for non-invasive evaluation of oxygen concentration (PO2) at the microcirculation level is developed. The system has been designed by exploiting the phenomenon of fluorescence quenching. The skin of an anaesthetized hamster, injected with porphyrin, is lighted with pulses; the fluorophore reacts with the oxygen in the blood, producing a fluorescence signal, and the value of the fluorescence lifetime is related to the oxygen concentration.

Retroesophageal subclavian artery aneurysm arising from Kommerell's diverticulum.

This report describes a novel technique used for management of retroesophageal subclavian artery aneurysm arising from Kommerell's diverticulum. The procedure consists of endoaortic exclusion of the aneurysmal neck, using a prosthetic patch after sternotomy during circulatory arrest, and antegrade cold blood cerebroplegia. The advantages of this technique are avoidance of hemorrhagic complications during clamping of the aneurysmal neck, limiting of the extent of dissection of the aortic arch, and elimination of the risk of inadvertent left recurrent nerve paralysis.