Numerical Perfusion Analysis: What Are We Computing, Really

Perfusion analysis computes blood flow parameters (blood volume, blood flow, mean transit time) from the observed flow of contrast agent, passing through the patient’s vascular system. Perfusion deconvolution has been widely accepted as the principal numerical tool for perfusion analysis, and is used routinely in clinical applications. This extensive use of perfusion in clinical decision-making makes numerical stability and robustness of perfusion computations vital for accurate diagnostics and patient safety. The main goal of this paper is to propose a novel approach for validating numerical properties of perfusion algorithms. The approach is based on Perfusion Linearity Property (PLP), which we find in perfusion deconvolution, as well as in many other perfusion techniques. PLP allows one to study perfusion values as weighted averages of the original imaging data. This, in turn, uncovers hidden problems with the existing deconvolution techniques, and may be used to suggest more reliable computational approaches and methodology.