Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B6/00—Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment
  • A61B6/50—Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment specially adapted for specific body parts; specially adapted for specific clinical applications
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M5/00—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
  • A61M5/14—Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
  • A61M5/142—Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M5/00—Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
  • A61M5/14—Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
  • A61M5/142—Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
  • A61M5/145—Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a drug injection device and a control method.
• a contrast agent When imaging a subject with an imaging device such as a CT scanner, a contrast agent is injected into the subject. When imaging using a contrast agent, it is desirable to perform imaging when the contrast agent, which has traveled through the subject's bloodstream after injection, reaches the imaging site. Conventionally, the most typical methods for determining the imaging timing are the test injection method and the bolus tracking method.
• a small amount of contrast agent and saline is injected to capture an image of the same cross section as the main scan. This allows the arrival time of the contrast agent at the target site to be confirmed, and the arrival time of the contrast agent in the main scan to be predicted, and the timing of imaging is determined based on this predicted arrival time.
• a prescan is used with a lower X-ray dose than the main scan to monitor in real time the change in CT value at a certain site after the injection of contrast agent, and the main scan is started when the CT value exceeds a predetermined threshold.
• Patent Document 1 discloses a drug injection device that can set an injection protocol that performs a first injection phase and a second injection phase in this way.
• the CT value (contrast agent concentration) in the time-concentration curve during the test injection, which is the first injection phase may not increase as expected, and the drug injection may be temporarily stopped before the main injection.
• the drug injection is temporarily stopped in this way, leaving room for improvement in operability when resetting the injection protocol.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a drug injection device and control method that makes it easy to reset an injection protocol that includes multiple phases, such as a first injection phase and a second injection phase, and that makes it possible to obtain suitable captured images.
• a liquid injection device is a liquid injection device including an injection head for delivering at least a contrast agent as a liquid to a subject, and a console communicatively connected to the injection head, the console having a display device and a control unit that causes the display device to display an injection condition setting screen for setting an injection protocol for implementing a first injection phase in which liquid is injected, an interval phase in which liquid is not injected, and a second injection phase in which liquid is injected, and that operates the injection head under operating conditions corresponding to the set injection protocol, the control unit having an input receiving unit that receives input from an operator, and a control unit that receives an input to stop injection during the injection operation of the first injection phase or the interval phase, and that stops the injection.
• the display processing unit displays an injection condition resetting screen including the first injection phase, the interval phase, the second injection phase, and a display switching icon on the display device when the operation of the head is stopped, and when the display switching icon is operated by an operator, the display processing unit redisplays the injection condition resetting screen in a state in which the first injection phase is not displayed or the first injection phase is displayed in a grayed-out state; an injection protocol creation unit creates an injection protocol according to the injection conditions indicated on the injection condition resetting screen; and an operation control unit operates the injection head according to the injection protocol when the operator inputs to start injection after the injection condition resetting screen is redisplayed.
• the injection condition resetting screen may include a ratio change icon for changing the mixing ratio of the first and second medicinal liquids in the first injection phase, and when the input receiving unit receives a change to the mixing ratio by an operator via the ratio change icon, the injection protocol creation unit may calculate the injection rate of the first medicinal liquid and the injection rate of the second medicinal liquid according to the changed mixing ratio without changing the injection time of the first injection phase.
• the input reception unit may not accept an operator's change to the injection time of the medicinal liquid in the first injection phase via the injection condition resetting screen.
• the input reception unit may not accept an operator changing the injection amount of the medicinal liquid in the first injection phase via the injection condition resetting screen.
• the injection protocol creation unit may not recalculate the injection conditions of the first injection phase to correspond to the changed injection conditions, even if the injection conditions of the second injection phase on the injection condition resetting screen are changed.
• the injection protocol creation unit may calculate an injection time corresponding to the changed injection rate of the second injection phase without changing the injection amount of the medicinal liquid in the second injection phase when the input reception unit receives an instruction that the operator has changed the injection rate of the medicinal liquid in the second injection phase via the injection condition resetting screen.
• the injection protocol creation unit may change the injection rate of the first injection phase to the same injection rate as the injection rate of the second injection phase after the change when the injection rate of the second injection phase is changed.
• the display processing unit may display a preset injection condition setting screen on the display device, the preset injection condition setting screen displaying a plurality of injection condition candidates for setting the injection conditions of the medicinal liquid in the first injection phase or the second injection phase, and when an operator selects one of the plurality of injection condition candidates via the preset injection condition setting screen, the injection condition corresponding to the selected injection condition candidate may be set as the injection condition of the medicinal liquid in the first injection phase or the second injection phase.
• the multiple candidate injection conditions may include an injection condition that includes a variable injection pattern in which the injection rate of the medicinal solution changes over time.
• the multiple candidate injection conditions may include an injection condition that includes, as the first injection phase, a first subphase for injecting contrast agent diluted with saline and a second subphase that is a saline boost phase.
• a control method of one embodiment of the present invention is a liquid injection device that delivers at least a contrast agent as a liquid medicine to a subject, the control method comprising: displaying on a display device an injection condition setting screen for setting an injection protocol for implementing a first injection phase in which liquid medicine is injected, an interval phase in which liquid medicine is not injected, and a second injection phase in which liquid medicine is injected; and operating an injection head under operating conditions corresponding to the set injection protocol, the control method including the steps of: accepting input from an operator; and, when an input to stop injection is made during the injection operation of the first injection phase or during the interval phase, and the operation of the injection head is stopped, controlling the first injection phase, the interval phase, the The method includes a step of displaying an injection condition resetting screen including two injection phases and a display switching icon on the display device, and when the operator operates the display switching icon, redisplaying the injection condition resetting screen in a state in which the first injection phase is not displayed or the first injection phase is displayed in a grayed-out
• a liquid medicine injection device includes an injection head that delivers at least a contrast agent as a liquid medicine to a subject, and a console communicatively connected to the injection head, the console having a display device and a control unit that causes the display device to display an injection condition setting screen for setting an injection protocol for implementing a first injection phase in which the liquid medicine is injected, an interval phase in which the liquid medicine is not injected, and a second injection phase in which the liquid medicine is injected, and that operates the injection head under operating conditions corresponding to the set injection protocol, the control unit having an injection protocol creation unit that creates an injection protocol for the first injection phase so as to deliver contrast agent diluted with saline at the same injection speed and injection time as the injection speed and injection time of the liquid medicine injected in the second injection phase.
• the control unit may further include a display processing unit that, when an input to stop injection is made during the injection operation of the first injection phase or during the interval phase and the operation of the injection head is stopped, causes the display device to display an injection condition resetting screen including the first injection phase, the interval phase, the second injection phase, and a display switching icon, and that, when the display switching icon is operated by an operator, causes the injection condition resetting screen to be redisplayed in a state in which the first injection phase is not displayed or in which the first injection phase is displayed in a grayed-out state.
• a display processing unit that, when an input to stop injection is made during the injection operation of the first injection phase or during the interval phase and the operation of the injection head is stopped, causes the display device to display an injection condition resetting screen including the first injection phase, the interval phase, the second injection phase, and a display switching icon, and that, when the display switching icon is operated by an operator, causes the injection condition resetting screen to be redisplayed in a state in which the first
• the injection protocol creation unit may determine the amount of iodine in the contrast agent for the second injection phase based on the subject's physical characteristic parameters acquired by the input reception unit and a formula expressing the relationship between the amount of iodine to be injected into the subject and the physical characteristic parameters.
• the present invention provides a drug injection device and control method that makes it easy to reset an injection protocol that includes multiple phases, such as a first injection phase and a second injection phase, and that makes it possible to obtain suitable captured images.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging system.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a chemical liquid injector.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an injection head and a liquid syringe attached thereto.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an injection protocol in which a dilute contrast agent is injected in a first injection phase, followed by a contrast agent of a predetermined concentration in a second injection phase.
• FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of TDC when a contrast agent is injected according to the injection protocol shown in FIG. 4. 4 is a flowchart showing an overall flow when the chemical liquid injector is used.
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the function of a control unit of the console.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a chemical liquid injector.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an injection head and a liquid syringe attached thereto.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an injection protocol in which
• FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an injection condition resetting screen. 13 is a diagram showing a state when a display switching icon is pressed on the injection condition resetting screen.
• FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a preliminary sending operation. 13 is an example of a table in which a plurality of threshold values are associated with a plurality of types of contrast examination.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an imaging system.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a liquid injection device.
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an injection head and a liquid syringe attached thereto. Below, an example of a liquid injection device equipped with an injection head and a console is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this.
• the imaging system 1 includes an imaging device 300 and a liquid medicine injection device S100.
• the imaging device 300 and the liquid medicine injection device S100 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other.
• the imaging device 300 is a device that generates a fluoroscopic image of a subject.
• the imaging device 300 is, for example, an X-ray CT scanner.
• the imaging device 300 includes, for example, an imaging unit 303b that captures a fluoroscopic image of the subject, a bed 304 on which the subject rests, and a control unit 303a that controls the operations of the imaging unit 303b and the bed 304.
• the liquid injector S100 mainly comprises an injection head 110 and a console 150.
• the injection head 110 is a device that delivers at least a contrast agent as a medicinal liquid toward a subject.
• the injection head 110 is held on top of a movable stand 111.
• the injection head 110 holds a first syringe 200C and a second syringe 200P.
• the first syringe 200C and the second syringe 200P will not be distinguished from each other and will simply be referred to as syringes 200.
• the injection head 110 has a housing 120.
• the housing 120 has a shape that extends long in the front-rear direction, for example.
• Two recesses 120a are formed on the top surface of the housing 120, on which the syringes 200 are placed.
• the recesses 120a function as syringe holders.
• a first syringe 200C and a second syringe 200P are placed on each recess 120a via a syringe adapter S121 and a syringe adapter S122.
• the functional configuration of the injection head 110 will be described later.
• the injection head 110 and the console 150 may be connected by wire or wirelessly.
• the syringes 200 may be used by aspirating a medicinal liquid into an empty syringe, or may be prefilled syringes.
• Examples of the medicinal liquid filled in the syringe 200 include a contrast medium and physiological saline.
• the first syringe 200C is filled with, for example, a contrast medium.
• the second syringe 200P is filled with, for example, physiological saline.
• the syringe 200 has a cylinder member 221 and a piston member 222.
• the cylinder member 221 is cylindrical, and has a conduit portion 221b formed at its tip and a flange portion 221a formed at its rear end.
• the piston member 222 is inserted into the cylinder member 221 so as to be slidable.
• An extension tube 230 is connected to each syringe 200.
• the extension tube 230 has tubes 231a, 231b, and 231c.
• Tube 231a is connected to the conduit portion 221b of the first syringe 200C.
• Tube 231b is connected to the conduit portion of the second syringe 200P.
• Tube 231c extends toward the subject from a connector to which tubes 231a and 231b are connected.
• An injection needle (not shown) is connected to the end of tube 231c. The medicinal liquid is injected into the subject via the extension tube 230 and injection needle configured in this manner.
• an IC tag 225 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the syringe 200.
• the IC tag 225 stores information that can be read by an external device via wireless communication means.
• the IC tag 225 stores, for example, at least one of information about the syringe (syringe identification information, syringe pressure resistance, inner diameter of the cylinder member, stroke of the piston member, etc.) and information about the medicinal liquid filled in the syringe (name (e.g. product name), component information such as amount of iodine, expiration date, medicinal liquid volume, etc.).
• the console 150 is communicatively connected to the injection head 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the console 150 is electrically connected to the injection head 110, for example, by a cable 102. The console 150 is placed in an operation room adjacent to an examination room, for example, for use. The console 150 is a device that allows the operator to set the injection protocol for the medicinal liquid and check the injection result screen.
• injection head 110 has, as its main components, piston drive mechanism 130, control unit 144, and reader/writer 145.
• the piston drive mechanism 130 pushes the piston member 222 into the cylinder member 221. Although only one piston drive mechanism 130 is shown in FIG. 1, two piston drive mechanisms 130 are provided according to the number of syringes. Each piston drive mechanism 130 operates independently. Each piston drive mechanism 130 may be driven simultaneously or at different times.
• the reader/writer 145 is a device that reads information from the IC tag 225 and writes information to the IC tag 225.
• the reader/writer 145 does not need to have the function of writing information to the IC tag 225.
• the control unit 144 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
• the control unit 144 controls the operation of the piston drive mechanism 130 by providing a control signal to the piston drive mechanism 130.
• the control unit 144 operates the piston drive mechanism 130 under operating conditions corresponding to the injection protocol set by the console 150.
• the control unit 144 also transmits information on the IC tag 225 read by the reader/writer 145 to the outside.
• the control unit 144 transmits information on the IC tag 225 to the console 150, for example.
• the console 150 has, as its main components, a display device 151, a switch box 152, a storage unit 154, and a control unit 155.
• the display device 151 is a display unit connected to the control unit 155, and is a display that displays characters, images, and the like.
• the display device 151 is, for example, a touch panel display.
• the display device 151 which is a touch panel display, also functions as an input means that accepts input from the user.
• the switch box 152 is an input means operated by an operator who operates the console 150. Although not shown in the figure, the switch box 152 has a main body and one or more buttons provided on the main body. The switch box 152 is electrically connected to the control unit 155.
• the storage unit 154 stores various types of data.
• the storage unit 154 stores data on the graphical user interface displayed on the display device 151, data on drug injection protocols, data on the operating conditions of the piston drive mechanism 130 associated with each injection protocol, computer programs, etc.
• Control unit 155 is, for example, a computer including a CPU. Control unit 155 operates injection head 110 under operating conditions corresponding to the injection protocol set by the operator. Control unit 155 cooperates with control unit 144 of injection head 110 to operate injection head 110 under operating conditions corresponding to the injection protocol of the medicinal liquid. In other words, control unit 155 is a control unit for operating injection head 110. In this embodiment, control unit 155 and control unit 144 are provided, but one control unit may have the functions of control unit 155 and control unit 144. Control unit 155 performs multiple functions (described in detail below) as shown in FIG. 7 by reading a computer program stored in memory unit 154.
• Outline of injection method with first and second injection phases As an injection method of performing multiple drug injection phases, for example, a method is known in which a first injection phase, a test injection for determining the imaging timing, and a second injection phase, a main injection for the actual scan, are successively performed. The second injection phase is started after a predetermined interval.
• the first injection phase is sometimes called the "test portion” and the second injection phase is sometimes called the "bolus portion.”
• the CT value (HU) in that region of interest gradually increases. Since the subject's systemic circulation is basically the same in the first injection phase and the second injection phase, by performing the first injection phase, it is possible to obtain information about the subject's systemic circulation. This systemic circulation information can then be used to determine, for example, the imaging timing at which the imaging device will image the subject.
• the amount of medicinal liquid injected in the first injection phase and the amount of medicinal liquid injected in the second injection phase may be different or the same.
• the amount of medicinal liquid injected in the first injection phase and the amount of medicinal liquid injected in the second injection phase are set to be the same will be described. Note that if the amount of contrast medium (undiluted) injected in the first injection phase is the same as that in the second injection phase, a large amount of contrast medium will be injected into the subject. Therefore, for the contrast medium in the first injection phase, it is possible that a diluted contrast medium diluted with saline is injected.
• FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an injection protocol in which a diluted contrast agent is injected in a first injection phase, and then a contrast agent of a predetermined concentration is injected in a second injection phase.
• Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a TDC (Time Density Curve) when a contrast agent is injected according to the injection protocol shown in Fig. 4. Note that the TDC is also called a TEC (Time Enhancement Curve).
• TDC Time Density Curve
• the injection protocol in FIG. 4 includes a first injection phase, an interval phase, and a second injection phase.
• the first injection phase and the second injection phase each include subphases.
• the first injection phase includes a first subphase in which a diluted contrast agent is injected, followed by a second subphase in which saline is boosted.
• the contrast agent and saline are mixed at a predetermined mixing ratio, and the mixed medicinal solution is injected.
• the second injection phase also includes a first subphase in which contrast medium is injected, followed by a second subphase in which saline is boosted.
• saline is not injected in the first subphase, and only contrast medium is injected.
• the interval phase is a phase in which no medicinal liquid is injected, and during this phase the piston drive mechanism 130 of the injection head 110 stops operating.
• TDC time concentration curve
• Time t1 is the timing when the CT value rises to value "A" as a result of the effect of the contrast agent in the first injection phase.
• the shapes of the first peak C1 and the second peak C2 at the TDC become curves that correspond to each other. Specifically, curves are obtained in which the length of time during which the CT value rises is approximately the same, but the peak values of the CT value are different from each other.
• time t2 at which the CT value at the second peak C2 reaches the target CT value based on the time t1 at which the CT value at the first peak C1 rises to a predetermined value.
• the time between time t1 and time t2 corresponds to the total time of the first injection phase and the interval phase.
• the injection speed and injection time of the first injection phase are the same as those of the second injection phase, but, for example, the injection time of the first injection phase may be shorter than the injection time of the second injection phase.
• the CT value of the first peak C1 may not reach an expected value (e.g., "A"), and the CT value of the first peak C1 may not increase as expected.
• the CT value of the second peak C2 may not increase as expected, and as a result, a preferable contrast image may not be obtained despite the injection of the contrast agent.
• the operator it is preferable for the operator to temporarily stop the operation of the liquid injection device S100 and reset the injection protocol.
• the operator sets a new injection protocol, for example, by modifying the conditions of an injection protocol that has already been implemented.
• the liquid injection device S100 of this embodiment is therefore configured as follows to facilitate resetting of the injection protocol in which contrast medium is injected twice with an interval phase between them, making it possible to obtain suitable captured images.
• Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an overall flow when the liquid injector is used.
• the operator sets preset injection conditions, which are the default injection conditions for each injection mode, in step S1.
• the preset injection conditions are set by the operator, for example, via a user interface (preset injection condition setting screen) provided by the console 150.
• one or more parameters such as the injection amount, injection speed, and injection time of the medicinal liquid in the first injection phase are set as preset injection conditions.
• the length of the interval phase is set.
• one or more injection parameters such as the injection amount, injection speed, and injection time of the medicinal liquid are also set for the second injection phase.
• a saline boost phase is set, but the injection protocol may be set so that these phases are omitted.
• step S2 the operator selects one of the multiple injection modes preregistered in the console 150.
• the console 150 displays an injection condition setting screen associated with the injection mode selected above.
• the injection condition setting screen is a screen for setting an injection protocol that implements a first injection phase in which the drug solution is injected, an interval phase in which the drug solution is not injected, and a second injection phase in which the drug solution is injected.
• step S4 the operator checks the injection conditions displayed on the injection condition setting screen, changes the conditions as necessary, and sets the injection protocol.
• the operator enters the specified information via the user interface to finalize the injection protocol conditions.
• step S5 in response to an input from the operator to start injection, the liquid injection device S100 starts the first injection of liquid according to the set injection protocol.
• step S6 if the CT value of the first peak C1 does not increase sufficiently as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the operator inputs an injection stop command to the liquid injector S100, thereby stopping the injection.
• the injection stop command may also be input to the liquid injector S100 from the imaging device 300.
• step S7 the operator checks the injection conditions via the injection condition reset screen, changes the conditions as necessary, and resets the injection protocol.
• step S8 in response to an input from the operator to start injection, the liquid injection device S100 starts a second injection of the liquid according to the reset injection protocol.
• FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the function of the control unit of the console.
• the control unit 155 of the console 150 has an input receiving unit 156, an injection protocol creation unit 157, a display processing unit 158, and an operation control unit 159.
• the control unit 155 operates as each of the above-mentioned functional units by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 154. Since the function of each functional unit of the control unit 155 is related to the display contents of the injection condition resetting screen and inputs from the operator to the injection condition resetting screen, the injection condition resetting screen will be explained before explaining each functional unit in detail.
• FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an injection condition resetting screen.
• Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a state when a display switching icon is pressed on the injection condition resetting screen.
• the screen displayed in step S3 is called an injection condition setting screen
• the screen displayed in step S7 is called an injection condition resetting screen.
• Fig. 8 will be described as an injection condition resetting screen 610.
• the injection condition reset screen 610 includes a first injection phase 611, a second injection phase 612, a ratio change icon 614, an interval phase 615, and a display switching icon 617.
• the first injection phase 611 includes a first sub-phase 611a and a second sub-phase 611b.
• the first sub-phase 611a is a phase in which contrast agent diluted with saline is injected, as described above.
• the second sub-phase 611b is a saline boost phase.
• the second injection phase 612 like the first injection phase 611, includes a first sub-phase 612a and a second sub-phase 612b.
• the first sub-phase 612a is, as an example, a phase in which undiluted contrast medium is injected.
• the second sub-phase 612b is a saline boost phase.
• the first sub-phase 611a of the first injection phase 611 and the first sub-phase 612a of the second injection phase 612 are, as an example, the same in terms of injection speed, injection amount, and injection time of the liquid medicine.
• the same injection amount means that the amount of the liquid medicine is the same, and does not mean that the amount of iodine contained in the liquid medicine is the same.
• the ratio change icon 614 is an icon for changing the mixing ratio of the contrast medium, which is the first medicinal liquid, and the saline solution, which is the second medicinal liquid, in the first injection phase 611 (specifically, the mixing ratio of the first sub-phase 611a).
• the ratio change icon 614 may be any user interface that allows the mixing ratio to be changed.
• the interval phase 615 is a phase in which no injection is performed, as described above.
• the interval phase 615 includes an icon 615a, and in this embodiment, the interval time can be changed by operating this icon 615a.
• the display switch icon 617 is an icon that allows the operator to switch the display mode of the first injection phase 611.
• a screen is displayed in which the first injection phase 611 is not displayed, as shown in FIG. 9, for example.
• the display switch icon 617 is operated again, the first injection phase 611 is displayed again, and the state returns to that of FIG. 8.
• the input receiving unit 156 receives various inputs to the console 150 by the operator.
• the input receiving unit 156 also receives input from the imaging device 300.
• the input from the imaging device 300 is, for example, a signal to stop injection transmitted by the imaging device 300.
• the input receiving unit 156 receives input when the operator presses a button on the switch box 152.
• the button on the switch box 152 is pressed, for example, to stop the liquid injection being performed.
• the input reception unit 156 also receives, for example, an operation by the operator of an icon or the like displayed on the user interface.
• the input reception unit 156 receives, for example, a change in the mixing ratio by the operator via the ratio change icon 614.
• the input reception unit 156 receives, for example, a change in parameters, such as the injection amount of the medicinal liquid in the second injection phase 612, by the operator via the injection condition reset screen 610.
• the injection conditions of the first sub-phase 611a of the injection condition resetting screen 610 may not be operable on the injection condition resetting screen 610.
• the input receiving unit 156 may be configured not to accept an operator's change to the injection time of the medicinal liquid in the first injection phase 611 via the injection condition resetting screen 610, or not to accept a change to the injection amount of the medicinal liquid.
• the injection time and/or injection amount of the first injection phase 611 can be changed on a preset injection condition setting screen that is separate from the injection condition setting screen.
• the injection conditions for the first injection phase 611 are not changed on the injection condition reset screen 610, preventing the operator from setting the injection conditions by mistake.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 creates an injection protocol according to the injection conditions shown on the injection condition resetting screen 610.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 modifies the injection protocol to create a modified injection protocol. For example, when the mixing ratio of the first sub-phase 611a is changed on the injection condition resetting screen 610, the injection protocol creation unit 157 may calculate the injection rate of the contrast agent and the injection rate of the saline solution according to the changed mixing ratio without changing the injection time of the first injection phase 611. Note that, in the present embodiment, as an example, the injection protocol creation unit 157 does not change the injection time and/or injection amount of the mixed medicinal liquid itself from the value before the mixing ratio is changed.
• the advantages of the above-mentioned configuration are as follows.
• the injection time of the first injection phase 611 would differ from the injection time of the second injection phase 612, resulting in a shape in which the first peak C1 and the second peak C2 do not correspond to each other.
• the time-concentration curve is unsuitable for an injection method that assumes that the injection time of the first injection phase and the injection time of the second injection phase are the same.
• the injection rate according to the mixing ratio is calculated without changing the injection time, so that the first peak C1 and the second peak C2 correspond to each other, resulting in a suitable time-concentration curve.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the injection conditions of the first and second drug solutions based on the mixing ratio, which is a setting value input or selected by the user, regarding the mixing ratio condition of the first injection phase 611.
• the mixing ratio may be a preset fixed value, for example.
• the injection parameters of the injection conditions of the second injection phase 612 can be changed by the user.
• the mixing ratio of the first phase is initially set to a predetermined value such as "50%" and the injection parameters of the second injection phase (e.g., injection speed or injection amount) are changed to a certain setting value
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may change the mixing ratio of the first injection phase 611 so that the amount of iodine delivered in the first injection phase 611 is the amount of iodine calculated according to the changed injection parameters multiplied by a predetermined ratio.
• the mixing ratio of the second injection phase 612 may be configured to be input and/or changed by the user.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may change the mixing ratio of the first injection phase 611 to correspond to the changed setting value when the mixing ratio of the second injection phase 612 is changed from a default value to a certain setting value, for example.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the mixing ratio of the first injection phase 611 corresponding to the changed setting value by referring to the memory unit 154 that stores the mixing ratio value of the second injection phase 612 and the mixing ratio value of the first injection phase 611 in association with each other.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the mixing ratio of the first injection phase 611 that corresponds to the changed setting value based on a formula that calculates the mixing ratio value of the first injection phase 611 from the mixing ratio value of the second injection phase 612.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the blending ratio for the first injection phase 611 so that the peak CT value of the first peak C1 is the same as the peak CT value of the first peak C1 that is predicted to be reached when injected under the conditions of the injection parameters before the change (so that the CT value is maintained).
• a mixing ratio value that does not provide a sufficient contrast effect in the first injection phase 611 may be calculated.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may be configured not to determine the mixing ratio of the first injection phase 611 to a value when the mixing ratio value is less than a predetermined threshold value.
• the display processing unit 158 may display an alert display for the user on the display device 151.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the mixing ratio for the first injection phase 611 so that the ratio between the amount of iodine injected in the second injection phase 612 and the amount of iodine injected in the first injection phase maintains a predetermined relationship (for example, the ratio of the amount of iodine injected in both phases is 1:n both before and after the change).
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may refer to the memory unit 154 and read out, for example, an appropriate ratio (the above-mentioned "1:n") according to the currently set type of test. With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically adjust the injection parameters of the first injection phase 611, for example, at an appropriate ratio according to the type of test.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may automatically adjust the injection protocol for the first injection phase 611 so that the peak CT value obtained as the contrast effect of the medicinal liquid injected in the first injection phase 611 and the peak CT value obtained as the contrast effect of the medicinal liquid injected in the second injection phase 612 are in a predetermined ratio.
• the injection conditions for the second injection phase may be changed on the injection condition resetting screen 610.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may calculate the injection time according to the changed injection rate for the second injection phase 612 without changing the injection amount for the second injection phase 612. That is, in this case, in the second injection phase 612, the injection amount remains the same (amount is fixed), and the injection rate and injection time are changed.
• the display processing unit 158 controls the display operation of the display device 151.
• the display processing unit 158 causes the display device 151 to display a preset injection condition setting screen.
• the "preset injection condition setting screen” is a setting screen that displays multiple injection condition candidates for setting the injection conditions of the medicinal liquid for the first injection phase or the second injection phase.
• the display processing unit 158 displays an image including the conditions for the first injection phase and the second injection phase corresponding to the selected injection condition candidate.
• the display processing unit 158 causes the display device 151 to display an injection condition setting screen that enables the operator to confirm and set the conditions of the injection protocol. Specifically, the display processing unit 158 causes the display device 151 to display the injection condition resetting screen 610 of FIG. 8 when an input to stop injection is made during the injection operation of the first injection phase 611 or during the interval phase 615 and the operation of the injection head 110 is stopped.
• the display processing unit 158 When the operator operates the display switching icon 617 on the injection condition resetting screen 610 in FIG. 8, the display processing unit 158, for example, hides the first injection phase 611. The ratio change icon 614 and the interval phase 615 are also hidden. When the operator operates the display switching icon 617 again, the display processing unit 158 displays the first injection phase 611, etc. This process is specifically realized by the display processing unit 158 redisplaying the injection condition resetting screen 610 in a state where the first injection phase 611 is not displayed when the operator operates the display switching icon 617.
• the operation on the display switching icon 617 is not limited to a pressing operation, and may be any operation.
• the operation may be an operation of sliding the icon.
• the display processing unit 158 may switch between a state in which the first injection phase 611 is displayed and a state in which the first injection phase 611 is displayed in a grayed-out state (the second injection phase 612 is displayed) rather than switching between displaying and hiding the first injection phase 611. Specifically, this process is realized when the display switching icon 617 is operated by the operator by the display processing unit 158 redisplaying the injection condition resetting screen 610 in a state in which the first injection phase 611 is displayed in a grayed-out state. Note that in this case, the interval phase 615 may also be displayed in a grayed-out state.
• the operation control unit 159 controls the operation of the injection head 110. Specifically, the operation control unit 159 operates the piston drive mechanism 130 of the injection head 110 under operating conditions according to the set injection protocol. The operation control unit 159 controls the operation of the piston drive mechanism 130, for example, by sending a control signal according to the set injection protocol to the injection head 110. This causes the medicinal liquid to be injected from the first syringe 200C and the second syringe 200P under predetermined conditions.
• the operation control unit 159 may be configured as follows. For example, when the operator operates the display switching icon 617, and the first injection phase 611, etc. is not displayed or the first injection phase 611, etc. is grayed out, the operator confirms the conditions of the injection protocol, and the operator inputs to start injection, the operation control unit 159 may operate the injection head to perform the second injection phase 612 without performing the first injection phase 611. In other words, in this case, the first injection phase 611 is not performed, and only the second injection phase 612 is performed.
• the operator's confirmation of the conditions of the injection protocol may be triggered by, for example, the operation of a predetermined icon on the injection condition resetting screen 610.
• the configuration of this embodiment it is possible to omit the setting of the first injection phase 611 by simply operating the display switching icon 617, and to set only the second injection phase 612 (the operator does not necessarily have to input or select a numerical value, and the operator may confirm the displayed conditions and confirm the contents).
• the first injection phase 611 is performed, for example, with the objective of finding the time at which the contrast agent reaches a specified site of interest by observing the shape of the first peak C1. Even if the CT value at the first peak C1 does not increase as much as expected and the injection is stopped, the time at which the contrast agent reaches the specified site of interest can be found. Therefore, it may not be necessary to perform the first injection phase 611 again.
• the console 150 is configured as described above, so that the operator can easily omit the setting of the first injection phase 611. Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, it is easy to reset the injection protocol, and it is possible to obtain a suitable captured image.
• the setting of the first injection phase 611 can be omitted simply by operating the display switching icon 617.
• the resetting work can be easily performed.
• a method can be considered in which a separate injection mode is selected in step S2 of FIG. 6 and the conditions of FIG. 9 are called up.
• the injection conditions can be easily reset without the need for such a procedure.
• the injection condition resetting screen 610 may be designed not to display the first injection phase 611 from the beginning, but in contrast examinations it may be important to check the relationship between the time-contrast curve obtained by injecting a liquid drug and the injection conditions implemented.
• the default display is the state in which the first injection phase 611 is displayed, as shown in FIG. 8, and the first injection phase 611 can be erased from that state, which has the advantage that it is easy to check the injection conditions for the first injection phase 611.
• the first injection phase 611 is not hidden, which has the advantage of making it easier to check what conditions the first injection phase 611 was under.
• the input receiving unit 156 when the input receiving unit 156 receives a change in the mixing ratio by the operator via the ratio change icon 614, the input receiving unit 156 is configured to calculate the injection rate of the first drug solution and the injection rate of the second drug solution according to the changed mixing ratio without changing the injection time of the first injection phase. Therefore, even if the mixing ratio changes, the injection time of the first injection phase does not change, and drug solution injection can be performed satisfactorily under the assumption that the injection times of the two injection phases are the same, as shown in FIG. 5.
• the injection conditions for the first injection phase are prevented from being set to inappropriate conditions by the operator.
• the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments exemplified above, and various modifications are possible.
• the injection rate of the second injection phase 612 can be changed on the injection condition resetting screen 610.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may change the injection rate of the first injection phase 611 to the same injection rate as the injection rate of the second injection phase 612 after the change.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may also change the injection time of the first injection phase 611 to the same injection time as the changed injection time of the second injection phase 612 when the injection time of the second injection phase 612 is changed.
• the parameters of the related phases are also automatically changed to correspond to the changed parameter.
• the display switching icon 617 when the display switching icon 617 is pressed, it means that there is no need to perform the first injection phase 611. In this case, the calculation for the above-mentioned tracking function does not need to be performed.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 when the input receiving unit 156 receives that the operator has operated the display switching icon 617 on the injection condition resetting screen 610, even if the injection conditions of the second injection phase 612 on the injection condition resetting screen 610 are changed, the injection protocol creation unit 157 does not need to recalculate the injection conditions of the first injection phase 611 to correspond to the changed injection conditions. With this configuration, there is no need for unnecessary calculation processing to recalculate the injection conditions of the first injection phase 611 that is not performed.
• the following patterns may be selectable as the injection patterns for the first injection phase 611 and the second injection phase 612. Note that “A” indicates the injection of a contrast medium, and “B” indicates the injection of physiological saline.
• A+B ⁇ A+B may have the same or different mixing ratios between the first and second subphases.
• An injection pattern starting from “B” means that saline is injected before the injection of the contrast agent.
• saline is injected in advance in this way, the subject's capillaries expand before the arrival of the contrast agent, which is expected to improve the contrast effect of the contrast agent.
• the multiple injection condition candidates selectable on the injection condition reset screen 610 may include an injection condition of a variable injection pattern in which the injection rate of the medicinal liquid changes over time.
• the variable constant (the injection rate at the end of the phase divided by the injection rate at the start. For example, if the rate decreases over time from 3.0 ml/sec to 1.5 ml/sec, the variable constant is 0.5) may be 0.3 or more and less than 1.0, or 0.5 or more and less than 1.0.
• the first injection phase may be an injection condition including a first sub-phase for injecting contrast agent diluted with saline and a second sub-phase that is a saline boost phase. In this way, a diluted injection may be performed in the first injection phase.
• a computer program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a liquid medicine injection device that delivers at least a contrast medium as a liquid medicine toward a subject, and is a computer program for operating the liquid medicine injection device that displays on a display device an injection condition setting screen for setting an injection protocol for implementing a first injection phase in which liquid medicine is injected, an interval phase in which liquid medicine is not injected, and a second injection phase in which liquid medicine is injected, and that operates an injection head under operating conditions corresponding to the set injection protocol, the computer comprising an input receiving unit that receives input from an operator, and a program for receiving an input to stop injection during the injection operation of the first injection phase or the interval phase, and operating the injection head.
• the display processing unit functions as: a display processing unit that, in a stopped state, displays on a display device an injection condition resetting screen including a first injection phase, an interval phase, a second injection phase, and a display switching icon, and when an operator operates the display switching icon, re-displays the injection condition resetting screen in a state in which the first injection phase is not displayed or the first injection phase is displayed in a grayed-out state; an injection protocol creation unit that creates an injection protocol in accordance with the injection conditions indicated on the injection condition resetting screen; and an operation control unit that, when the operator inputs to start injection after the injection condition resetting screen is re-displayed, operates the injection head in accordance with the injection protocol.
• the control method for the liquid injector includes the steps of: accepting an input from an operator; displaying an injection condition resetting screen including the first injection phase, the interval phase, the second injection phase, and a display switching icon on a display device when an input to stop injection is made during the injection operation of the first injection phase or during the interval phase and the operation of the injection head is stopped; redisplaying the injection condition resetting screen in a state in which the first injection phase is not displayed or the first injection phase is displayed in a grayed-out state when the operator operates the display switching icon; creating an injection protocol in accordance with the injection conditions indicated on the injection condition resetting screen; and operating the injection head according to the injection protocol when the operator inputs to start injection after the injection condition resetting screen is redisplayed. Each step is executed by the liquid injector.
• the subject implementing the computer program may be any device constituting the imaging system 1 or any device connected to the liquid injection device.
• the computer program of one embodiment of the present invention may cause the computer to function as an input receiving unit that receives input from an operator, a display processing unit that displays an injection condition resetting screen including the first injection phase, the interval phase, the second injection phase, and a display switching icon on a display device when an input to stop injection is made during the injection operation of the first injection phase or during the interval phase and the operation of the injection head is stopped, and when the display switching icon is operated by the operator, the display processing unit that redisplays the injection condition resetting screen in a state in which the first injection phase is not displayed or the first injection phase is displayed in a grayed-out state, an injection protocol creation unit that creates an injection protocol according to the injection conditions indicated by the injection condition resetting screen, and a transmission unit that transmits a control signal to the liquid injection device to operate the liquid injection device according to the injection protocol created by the injection protocol creation unit.
• the liquid injector automatically calculates injection conditions for a contrast agent or the like appropriate for a subject based on the physical characteristics of the subject.
• the liquid injector may have a trained model.
• the console 150 may have a trained model that outputs the amount of contrast agent (mgI/HU) required to increase the CT value by 1 HU for a target subject.
• the trained model takes subject data and/or a scano image as input data, for example, and outputs the amount of contrast agent (mgI/HU) required to increase the CT value by 1 HU.
• the subject data is, for example, one or more of the subject's height, weight, age, sex, and cardiac output.
• the liquid injector is configured so that the injection head and the console are separate entities.
• the present invention also covers a liquid injector in which the injection head and the console are integrally configured.
• control unit 155 has the function of creating an injection protocol, and the control unit 144 controls the operation of the piston drive mechanism 130, but a single control unit may both create the injection protocol and control the operation of the piston drive mechanism 130.
• the liquid medicine injector may also include a mechanism for delivering the liquid medicine from a liquid medicine storage container other than a syringe.
• the liquid medicine storage container may be a flexible liquid medicine bag or a bottle.
• the liquid medicine injector may also be configured to have a tube pump instead of a piston drive mechanism, and to deliver the liquid medicine by pressurizing the liquid medicine in the tube with the tube pump.
• the physical properties of the liquid medicine in the first injection phase may be significantly different from those of the liquid medicine in the second injection phase.
• a predetermined amount of the liquid medicine will remain in extension tube 230 (FIG. 3) at the time when the liquid medicine injection in the second injection phase is started.
• the second injection phase is performed after the interval phase, the liquid medicine injected in the second injection phase may mix with the liquid medicine remaining in extension tube 230, which may cause a problem that the contrast effect expected from the liquid medicine injection in the second injection phase cannot be obtained.
• the liquid injector S100 may be configured as follows.
• FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of a preliminary delivery operation.
• the following operation example is an example performed with an injection protocol in which, for example, contrast medium with a dilution rate of 50% (one example) is injected in the first injection phase, and undiluted contrast medium (one example) is injected in the second injection phase.
• step S11 the operation control unit 159 of the control unit 155 (see FIG. 7) determines whether the difference between the physical property values of the liquid in the second injection phase and the physical property values of the liquid in the first injection phase is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.
• the physical property value of the liquid is, for example, the concentration of the contrast agent.
• the timing at which step S11 is executed is not limited to a specific timing, but may be, for example, the timing at which the operator makes an input to confirm the injection protocol, the timing at which the operator makes an input to start the injection, the timing at which the injection protocol settings are changed by the operator and the injection protocol creation unit 157 recalculates the injection parameters, etc.
• FIG. 11 is an example of a table associating multiple thresholds with multiple types of contrast examination.
• the extent of the difference between the concentration of the liquid drug in the first injection phase and the concentration of the liquid drug in the second injection phase at which a preliminary delivery operation is performed depends on, for example, the type of contrast examination. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, a table associating multiple thresholds with multiple types of contrast examination may be stored in the memory unit 154.
• the operation control unit 159 may refer to information on the type of the current contrast examination (for example, "angiography type 1") and the above table stored in the memory unit 154, determine the threshold value to be "a", and make the above judgment based on the determined threshold value.
• step S11 If step S11 is No, the preliminary delivery operation is not necessary, and the series of operations for the preliminary delivery operation is terminated.
• step S11 if step S11 is Yes, the operation control unit 159 operates the injection head 110 to deliver a predetermined amount of the medicinal liquid according to the conditions of the second injection phase after the end of the first injection phase and before the start of the second injection phase (step S12).
• the "predetermined amount” is an amount that can push out the medicinal liquid remaining in the extension tube 230, for example, several ml (as an example, 3 ml).
• step S13 the operation control unit 159 operates the injection head 110 to deliver an amount of medicinal liquid (e.g., 97 ml) obtained by subtracting the above-mentioned predetermined amount (e.g., 3 ml) from the injection amount (e.g., 100 ml) of the second injection phase after the interval phase ends.
• an amount of medicinal liquid e.g., 97 ml
• the injection amount e.g., 100 ml
• a predetermined amount of the liquid medicine to be injected in the second injection phase is pre-delivered prior to the start of the second injection phase. This prevents the liquid medicine to be injected in the second injection phase from mixing with the liquid medicine from the first injection phase remaining in the extension tube 230, which results in the expected contrast effect not being obtained from the liquid medicine injection in the second injection phase.
• the liquid medicine injected in the second injection phase is an amount obtained by subtracting a predetermined amount, the amount of liquid medicine injected in the pre-delivery operation and the liquid medicine injection in the second injection phase does not exceed a set amount (e.g., 100 ml).
• the invention disclosed above is such that (1) the operation control unit operates the injection head to deliver a predetermined amount of liquid medicine according to the conditions of the second injection phase after the end of the first injection phase and before the start of the second injection phase when the difference between the physical property values of the liquid medicine in the second injection phase and the physical property values of the liquid medicine in the first injection phase is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.
• the operation control unit may determine the threshold value (e.g., "a") based on information on the type of contrast examination (e.g., "angiography type 1") by referring to a memory unit that stores multiple threshold values in association with multiple types of contrast examination.
• the operation control unit may operate the injection head to deliver an amount of liquid medicine in the second injection phase that is the injection amount of the second injection phase minus the predetermined amount after the end of the interval phase.
• any method may be used to calculate the injection parameters of the injection protocol.
• a method may be used in which the weight of the subject is input, and the amount of liquid medicine to be injected into the subject is calculated using the weight information and the amount of iodine per body weight (for example, unit: mgI/Kg).
• a predetermined reference weight of the subject for example, 60 kg
• the amount of liquid medicine injected is less than the amount of liquid medicine injected (or the amount of iodine) calculated by the amount of iodine per body weight method
• the amount of liquid medicine injected is greater than the amount of liquid medicine injected (or the amount of iodine) calculated by the amount of iodine per body weight method.
• LLBW Lean Body Weight
• BSA Body surface area
• BV Blood Volume
• AdBW Adjust Body Weight
• injection protocol creation unit 157 may be stored in the memory unit 154 for processing by the injection protocol creation unit 157.
• the injection parameters may also be determined according to a regression formula obtained by regression analysis of statistical data and the subject's physical parameters. Such a regression formula may be stored in the memory unit for processing by the injection protocol creation unit.
• the above-mentioned calculation method may be used in the first injection phase or in the second injection phase. It may also be used to calculate the total amount of various parameters of the medicinal liquid injected in multiple phases (for example, the total amount of the medicinal liquid injected), rather than for each individual injection phase.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may calculate the amount of iodine using a second calculation formula different from the first calculation formula prepared for normal subjects.
• the control unit 155 may present an alert to the user that the calculation will be performed using a calculation formula different from the normal one.
• the control unit 155 may not accept an input of weight less than the predetermined threshold.
• control unit 155 may perform a process of accepting an input of weight but not calculating the amount of iodine. Although an example of a child has been described above, the control unit 155 may also perform the same process as above in the case of a subject who is overweight and falls outside the predetermined standard.
• the console 150 may be configured to transmit the injection conditions of the performed liquid injection to an external device. Specifically, the console 150 may transmit the injection conditions of the performed liquid injection to the outside in association with one or more of the subject's identification information, the hospital's identification information, the liquid injection device's identification information, and the date and time of the examination.
• the external device is not particularly limited, and may be a storage server that stores various information, specifically, a storage server such as a radiology information systems server, a hospital information systems server, and a DICOM server.
• a liquid injection device comprising: an injection head that delivers at least a contrast agent as a liquid medicine toward a subject; and a console communicatively connected to the injection head, wherein the console has a display device and a control unit that causes the display device to display an injection condition setting screen for setting an injection protocol for implementing a first injection phase in which the liquid medicine is injected, an interval phase in which the liquid medicine is not injected, and a second injection phase in which the liquid medicine is injected, and that operates the injection head under operating conditions corresponding to the set injection protocol, wherein the control unit has an injection protocol creation unit that creates an injection protocol for the first injection phase such that a contrast agent diluted with saline is delivered at the same injection speed and injection time as the injection speed and injection time of the liquid medicine injected in the second injection phase.
• This configuration makes it possible to provide a liquid medicine injection device that can operate according to an injection protocol that can achieve a good contrast effect, such as the example shown in Figure 5.
• the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the amount of iodine in the contrast agent for the second injection phase 612 based on the subject's physical characteristic parameters. Specifically, the injection protocol creation unit 157 may determine the amount of iodine in the contrast agent based on the subject's physical characteristic parameters (e.g., body weight 60 kg) acquired by the input reception unit and a formula expressing the relationship between the amount of iodine to be injected into the subject (e.g., "A" mgI) and the physical characteristic parameters.
• the subject's physical characteristic parameters e.g., body weight 60 kg
• a formula expressing the relationship between the amount of iodine to be injected into the subject e.g., "A" mgI
• the control unit 155 may display the injection condition re-setting screen 610 in a state as shown in FIG. 9 when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Specifically, when the input receiving unit 156 receives a notification from an external device that the CT value of the first peak C1 does not reach a predetermined threshold, the control unit 155 may stop the injection of the liquid and redisplay the injection condition re-setting screen 610 in a state in which the first injection phase 611 is not displayed or is displayed in a grayed-out state.
• the control unit 155 may determine whether or not it is possible to determine the time (elapsed time from the start of injection) until the liquid reaches the target site of the subject from the shape of the first peak C1 according to the injection of the first injection phase 611, and may execute the above processing when it is possible to determine the time.
• the liquid injection condition is set again after the time until the liquid reaches the target site is known in the first liquid injection, so there is no need to execute the first injection phase 611. Therefore, regardless of the operation by the operator, the control unit 155 automatically changes the display state of the injection condition resetting screen 610, thereby enabling efficient liquid injection to be performed.
• the control unit 155 may automatically display a predetermined screen even if the display switching icon 617 is not pressed. For example, when the control unit 155 detects that the contrast agent is not being properly injected into the subject and the input receiving unit 156 receives a notification to that effect, the control unit 155 may stop the injection and display a screen such as that in FIG. 9 or a predetermined screen. When the control unit 155 determines that the drug solution being used may cause a predetermined side effect and the input receiving unit 156 receives a notification to that effect, the control unit 155 may execute the above process.
• the input of drug solution leakage (e.g., extravasation) to the console 150 may be input from a person or from a device.
• the CT device is configured to be able to adjust the tube voltage according to the target image quality, CT value, and the like.
• the tube voltage of the X-ray tube is usually, for example, 120 kV, but in imaging at a low tube voltage, it is, for example, 100 kV or less (for example, 70 to 100 kV).
• the control unit 155 may be configured to be able to inject the contrast agent in a low tube voltage compatible injection mode in addition to the injection mode for normal imaging.
• the low tube voltage compatible injection mode is an injection mode suitable for imaging at a tube voltage lower than the standard tube voltage.
• the control unit 155 may change injection parameters such as the injection amount of the drug solution according to the tube voltage value or according to the selection of the low tube voltage compatible injection mode.
• the control unit 155 may also automatically calculate parameters such as the mixing ratio or dilution rate of the drug solution according to the tube voltage value or according to the selection of the low tube voltage compatible injection mode.
• the console 150 may function as a control device that controls the injection head 110 and may also function as a simulator.
• the simulator generates a predicted TDC curve of how the CT value changes at a predetermined target site when a drug solution is injected into a subject according to a set injection protocol.
• the operator stops the injection of the first injection phase 611, but the control unit 155 of the console 150 may display a message prompting the operator to stop the injection or stop the injection operation of the injection head 110 when the difference between the CT value predicted by the simulator and the CT value of the subject actually measured becomes equal to or exceeds a threshold value (or when this state continues for a certain period of time).
• a device other than the console 150 may function as a simulator, and notify the console 150 when the difference between the CT value predicted by the simulator and the CT value of the subject actually measured exceeds a threshold (or when this condition continues for a certain period of time). For example, when the control unit 155 receives the above notification from an external device, the control unit 155 may automatically change the display state of the injection condition resetting screen 610 to a screen such as that shown in FIG. 9.
• the injection conditions determined by the simulator may be set as the injection conditions of the liquid injection device.
• the injection parameters are calculated according to the subject's weight.
• the injection parameters may be determined not only based on the subject's weight, but also based on whether the subject has a heart disease.
• the control unit 155 may add a correction value associated with the degree of heart disease (e.g., mild, moderate, or severe) to the subject's weight, and determine, for example, the amount of drug solution or iodine to be injected based on the added weight.
• A+B ⁇ B ⁇ Interval ⁇ A ⁇ A ⁇ B ⁇ B may be used.
• Amyloidosis refers to a condition in which some proteins form abnormal fibers called amyloids, which are deposited in organs such as the heart, causing organ dysfunction.
• Cardiac amyloidosis refers to a pathological condition in which amyloid is deposited in the heart and impairs cardiac function.
• the control unit 155 may set an injection protocol to inject a drug solution for cardiac perfusion testing (specifically, for example, injection of a drug solution to apply stress to the heart) and then inject a contrast agent.
• a cardiac perfusion test is an examination to apply stress to the heart and visualize whether the necessary blood is being taken into the myocardium.
• the contrast agent may be injected for the purpose of imaging, for example, the coronary artery and myocardium.
• the drug solution injector of one embodiment of the present invention may be configured to be able to set an injection protocol including multiple injection phases, such as A ⁇ interval ⁇ A ⁇ interval ⁇ A. "A” may be replaced with "A+B" or "B".
• a myocardial stress agent such as adenosine may be injected by an injector separate from the liquid injection device or by a person, and then after a period of time, the liquid injection device may inject a contrast agent. This examination may be performed using a liquid injection device for CT.
• an injection protocol may include multiple injection phases, and an icon corresponding to the display switching icon 617 may be arranged to correspond to two or more of the multiple injection phases.
• the control unit 155 may be configured to change the corresponding injection phase to hidden or grayed out when a certain display switching icon is operated, and to change the corresponding injection phase to hidden or grayed out when another display switching icon is operated.
• the control unit 155 may display an image such that the selection state of two or more injection phases changes sequentially by repeatedly pressing one display switching icon.
• the “medicinal solution” refers to, for example, a contrast medium, a physiological saline solution, or a mixture thereof.
• An “infusion protocol” indicates what type of drug should be injected, in what amount, and at what rate.
• the “injection parameters” refer to the injection conditions of the liquid medicine included in the injection protocol, and specifically refer to parameters such as the injection speed of the liquid medicine, the injection amount of the liquid medicine, and the injection time of the liquid medicine.
• “same as 10” means a range of 10 ⁇ 1.
• “Grayed out” refers to a state in which characters or images displayed on a display unit are displayed in a different color tone than the normal display (when not grayed out).
• the different color tone is, for example, a lighter color tone than the normal display.
• Imaging system 102 Cable 110 Injection head 111 Movable stand 120 Housing 120a Recess 130 Piston drive mechanism 144 Control unit 145 Reader/writer 150 Console 151 Display device 152 Switch box 154 Memory unit 155 Control unit 156 Input reception unit 157 Injection protocol creation unit 158 Display processing unit 159 Operation control unit 200 Syringe 200C First syringe 200P Second syringe 221 Cylinder member 221a Flange portion 221b Conduit portion 222 Piston member 225 IC tag 230 Extension tube 231a Tube 231b Tube 231c Tube 300 Imaging device 303a Control unit 303b Imaging unit 304 Bed 610 Injection condition resetting screen 611 First injection phase 611a First sub-phase 611b Second sub-phase 612 Second injection phase 612a First sub-phase 612b Second sub-phase 614 Ratio change icon 615 Interval phase 615a Icon 617 Display switching icon C1 First peak C2 Second peak S100 Liquid injector S121 Syringe adapter S122 Syring

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