Blood flow measurement using digital angiography and parametric imaging.

A method of blood flow measurement is described that determines flow through a particular artery in absolute units or as a fraction of the cardiac output. For measuring flow as a percentage of cardiac output, no assumption about the vessel's cross-sectional shape is necessary. If one assumes that the vessel's cross section is circular, then absolute flow determination is possible. All methods would require only a single intravenous injection of contrast material. Details of the theory of these methods are presented and alternative data analysis options are developed and discussed.