Abstract: A method for determining a flow rate of a substance or a thermo-contrast agent in an object including a surface and an upstream region, and the method comprising the steps of (a) providing the upstream region with a thermo-contrast agent; (b) obtaining successive temperature readings of at least a part of the surface of the object; (c) generating a temperature response curve from the temperature readings; (d) extracting a parameter from the temperature response curve; and (e) determining the flow rate from the parameter.

Abstract: Methods for determining the flow rate of a substance within an object by extracting and mathematically manipulating numerical parameters from a thermoimaging temperature response curve of the surface of the object. The methods of the present invention are suitable to determine coronary arteries flow rates and myocardial perfusion rates in open chest conditions.

Abstract: A method for the digital frequencey domain implementation of receiving arrays. The steps of the method are as follows: a discrete time input signal is transformed into its spectral components and the redundant spectral components are removed. Products of the non-redundant spectral components with a scaled set of acquired weights are computed. From the so-computed products a first set of spectral sums is calculated wherefrom a second set of spectral sums is derived. Thereafter, the first and second sets of spectral sums are converted to the discrete time domain thereby obtaining a discrete time output signal. The invention also provides a system having receiving components operating in accordance with the method. In another embodiment the invention also provides a method and system for the digital frequency domain implementation of transmitting arrays.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for analyzing the electrical activity of the heart by Body Surface Potential Mapping (BSMP) in which an array of electrodes are applied over the thoracic region of a subject's body for producing measurements of the electrical signals generated in the thoracic region, and the measurements are processed for indicating certain electrical events in the subject's body. The array of electrodes are utilized to measure only the times of crossing of the electrical signals over a preset threshold.

Abstract: A method of displaying cardiac function which forms by helical or segmental analysis a three-dimensional cage model which can be shaded and color coded to indicate local and regional dysfunction by thickening or motion and stresses. On this model is superimposed the coronary artery tree including stenosed segments as obtained from the same patient by angiograms and the resulting three-dimensional coronary and mechanical model can be subjected to animation and analysis for diagnostic purposes and to simulate effects of treatment.

Abstract: Bioaffinity separation is carried out in a cascade of column segments under control of a computer which selectively connects each column segment to a collector so that the individual bioactive components which are selectively retained by a biospecific sorbent can be individually collected. The volume and flow rate of eluate collected following each segment serve as the measure for the addition of makeup eluant between that column segment of the cascade and the next column segment.