US2796525A - Method of locating vascular obstructions - Google Patents

Description

June 18, 1957 J. H. NORDSTROM 2,796,525

METHOD OF LOCATING VASCULAR OBSTRUCTIONS Filed July 17, 1956 Fig 5 IN V EN TOR.

John H Nora's/ram Af/j United States Patent IVIETHOD OF LOCATING VASCULAR OBSTRUCTIONS John H. Nordstrom, San Francisco, Calif.

Application July 17, 1956, Serial No. 598,354

2 Claims. (Cl. 250-65) This invention relates to improvements in means for locating restrictions affecting the flow of blood in the human body.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means for simultaneously recording distance and rate of flow of blood in the human body, as for instance, through one of the principal arteries thereof.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which is automatic in operation and synchronized with X-ray exposures so as to include on the exposed film not only the shadow graph of the human artery, but also a shadow graph of a time interval, and to perform this operation in rapid succession whereby the rate of flow and the time interval involved may be accurately determined.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. l is a perspective view of my time indicator;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view through the indicator, as the same would appear on the X-ray table, which table and a portion of the table and cassette are shown in cross section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view on an enlarged scale of my timing wheel and showing the casing in cross section;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a human artery and having a restriction therein; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation of an exposed X- ray film having a shadow graph thereon which indicates the flow of dye-carrying blood through two of the major arteries.

In the diagnosis of various infirmities it is often necessary to determine through the use of X-rays whether the condition is brought about by some growth pressing upon one of the arteries which feeds blood to a certain area, or whether it is caused by some vascular condition directly attributable to the artery itself, and to determine at what point this condition is occurring so that a proper diagnosis may be made.

Applicant has therefore devised a means of registering a time indicator directly upon the X-ray film which time indication will coincide with the exposure so that the difference between successive exposures will determine the distance the dye-carrying blood has flowed between the time that the two exposures were made.

In the taking of several exposures, it may be found that the blood will flow at a definite rate up to the point of restriction and that a definite dilferent rate will occur in the multiple exposures taken after the restriction has been passed, which in itself will pinpoint the point of restriction.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates the casing of my device which is made of a material which does not materially impede the rays from the X-ray machine. Within this casing I position a motor 6 is geared to a shaft 7 from which is suspended a wheel 8 freely rotatable on the shaft 7 and connected to the shaft through the medium of a spring 9, the purpose of which will be later seen.-

The support 11 for the motor serves to suspend a stop pin 12 which is in alignment with a pair of pins 13 carried in the upper surface of thev wheel 8. This wheel also carries numerical indicia 14 which are impervious to X-rays and will therefore cast a shadow. Lead pellets 16 are also imbedded adjacent the periphery of the wheel, which lead pellets will also cast shadows on the X-ray film.

The base 17 has a lead pointer 18 which will underlie the forward edge of the wheel 8. The casing 5 is secured to the base 17 in any desired manner.

The motor 6 has a clutch member 19, the purpose of which is to permit the spring 7 to reset the wheel to the point zero after power is turned ofi from the motor.

The motor is activated through the medium of closing a switch 21 permitting current to flow from the current source to the motor. As a safety feature, the motor is grounded by the wire 22.

In use my device is positioned on the X-ray table 23 at a point where the forward part of the casing 5 containing the wheel 8 overlies the X-ray film 24 mounted either in a cassette or in a film holder. In the present instance I have shown a cassette 26 slidably supported by brackets 27, one of which is shown in the drawing mounted beneath the table 23.

As is well known, a cassette is merely a film holder having a pair of opaque slides 28 which protect the film from exposure to rays of ordinary light.

In Fig. 4 I have shown diagrammatically in cross section an artery having a restriction at the point A. It is of course understood that this restriction may be caused by one of many different occurrences, for instance by the building up of deposits within an artery, or by pressure upon the artery from other causes.

It is here to be noted that the rate of flow could be two inches a second to the left of the point A in the Fig. 4 and one and a half inches per second to the right of the point A, which fact would indicate and pinpoint the area where the restriction occurs.

Referring now to Fig. 5, we will assume that an X- ray exposure has been taken with the result that on the exposed film after development We will find a picture which in the present instance shows an artery B and an artery C, and also a shadow graph of the wheel 8, which shadow graph shows that the wheel has turned so that for instance 10 seconds of time have elapsed between the time that the motor 6 was energized and the time the picture was taken. It is to be here understood that during this 10 seconds there have been a number of X-rays taken and that just prior to the taking of the initial exposure, an opaque dye was inserted in the artery B. The result is that the shadow graph of the artery B will show just how far said dye has progressed along the artery. The shadow graph and the time indicator being exposed simultaneously will give a definite distance that the blood has traveled between the instant exposure and previous exposures or future exposures. Then by measuring the rate of travel, as for instance, if an obstruction has occurred, the rate of travel will decrease and at the point of decrease is the spot where the obstruction must of necessity be located.

Consequently, by this method, the point of restriction is known and it is necessary only to make an incision to determine the cause of the restriction, which hasnot been possible heretofore.

It will thus be seen that I have accomplished all of the objects above set forth. It is to be here understood that the form of vrny invention herewith shown and described is to -be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. v V

Having thus described my invention, I claim: I e

1. A method of locating a vascular obstruction in a 4 r i body comprising the injection of a dye into 'theblood stream, thence the exposing of a series of X-ray films in rapid succession and impressing simultaneously on each successive film a shadow graph of a time-controlled moveable indicator and the dye-carrying blood.

2. Means for locating a vascular obstruction comprising a series of rapidly exposed X-rays, each having simultaneously impressed thereon a time-controlled indicator shadow graph and a shadow graph of a dye-carrying blood artery whereby the rate of flow of dye-carrying blood may be measured in the successive exposures.

No references cited.

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