Department of Medical Physics
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Charles A. Mistretta

Credentials: PhD

Position title: Emeritus Professor, Medical Physics, Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering

Email: camistre@facstaff.wisc.edu

Mistretta PubMed

Education

PhD, Harvard University

Research Interests

  • Investigations of non-invasive techniques for magnetic resonance imaging of the cardiovascular system
  • Quantitation of flow
  • Coronary artery imaging and flow measurement
  • MR Myocradial Perfusion

Our research in medical imaging began in 1971 with studies of dual energy X-ray imaging using analog storage tube devices. This led to the development of a real-time digital image processor which was the enabling device for what eventually became Digital Subtraction Angiography. Initial enthusiasm for this technique was based on the hope that angiography could be done with intravenous injections. However, problems with artery/vein overlap led the medical community to use intra-arterial DSA. This did permit the use of smaller contrast doses and smaller catheters and resulted in a substantial reduction in angiographic complications as well as providing a tool for the development of interventional radiology. The DSA technique has been distributed worldwide and is still the gold standard against which the image quality of new angiographic techniques is measured. Patent royalties from DSA presently rank second among all inventions in University of Wisconsin history.

In 1988 our research turned to magnetic resonance angiography. Our most notable contributions in that area have been the development of 3D TRICKS (Time Resolved Imaging of Contrast KineticS) which is currently the preferred commercial method for time-resolved MRA, undersampled 3D radial acquisition ,VIPR, (Vastly undersampled Isotropic PRojection imaging) that permits data acquisition accelerations of several hundred relative to conventional Cartesian acquisition, HYPR (HighlY constrained reconstruction from PRojections) that provides further undersampling factors and substantial increases in signal to noise ratio, Phase Contrast VIPR that permits high resolution flow measurements and determination of trans-stenotic pressure gradients, and HYBRID MRA that provides acceleration factors up to 1000 relative to conventional MRA.

The principles learned in the course of implementing the above MRA techniques have now been extended to provide a method for a 4D implementation of DSA and interventional fluoroscopy. This method provides time resolved rotational DSA images at time-resolved frame rates of up to 30 per second instead of the usual time-independent rotational DSA image volume obtained in times of 5-20 seconds. The technique also permits real time catheter tracking with viewing at arbitrary angles without ongoing gantry rotation.

4D-DSA removes the problem of overlying veins and image quality appears to be sufficient to warrant a re-examination of intra-venous DSA as a diagnostic modality.

Awards and Honors

  • 1962 – Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi, Graduated with Highest Honors University of Illinois, Champaign, Urbana
  • 1972-74 – First physicist to become James Picker Advanced Fellow in Academic Radiology
  • 1983 – Laufman-Greatbatch Prize, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, in recognition for development of Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA)
  • 1998 – J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, sponsored by the Robarts Research Institute and the University of Western Ontario, for distinguished lifetime achievement and outstanding contributions to the advances in the use of medical imaging in diagnosing and treating human diseases.
  • 1999 – Elected Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
  • 2003 – Elected Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
  • 2005 – Special Physics Award for Outstanding Service to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Presented by the UW Department of Physics.
  • 2006 – Elected Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
  • 2010 – MIT Technology Achievement Award – Sponsored by MIT Club of Wisconsin
  • 2010 – RSNA Outstanding Researcher for 2010
  • 2012 – Edith H. Quimby Lifetime Achievement Award – American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
  • 2012 – University of Wisconsin Hilldale Award in Biosciences
  • 2012 – Marie Curie Skłodowska Award – International Organization for Medical Physics “for outstanding contributions to medical physics research and remarkable merits on medical physics education”
  • 2013 – Designated as “one of the 50 medical physicists with the most impact on the field in the last 50 years” by the International Congress of Medical Physics
  • 2014 – Elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
  • 2015 – UW Medical School – Folkert Belzer Award
  • 2015 – Distinguished Investigator Award – The Academy of Radiology Research
  • 2016 – IEEE (426,000 members) medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology “For the development of imaging instrumentation and techniques that have transformed the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease”

Patents

The patents listed usually have corresponding foreign patents that are not separately listed here.

  • Mistretta CA, Kelcz F:  Compensation for patient thickness variations in differential x-ray transmission imaging. US Patent No. 3,854,049, 1974.
  • Mistretta CA, Ort MG:  Differential enhancement of periodically variable images.  US Patent  No. 3,894,181,1975.
  • Mistretta CA, Kelcz F: Differential x-ray method and apparatus.  US Patent No. 3,974,386, 1976.
  • Mistretta CA:  Real-time digital x-ray subtraction imaging.  US Patent No. 4,204,225, 1980.
  • Mistretta CA, Kruger RA, Houk TL:  Real-time x-ray time interval difference imaging.  US Patent No. 4,204,226, 1980.
  • Mistretta CA, Peppler WW, Kudva BV, Hasegawa BH, Dobbins JT III:  Digitally controlled x-ray beam attenuation method and apparatus.  US Patent No. 4497062, 1985.
  • Mistretta CA, Korosec FR:  ECG-optimized line-scanned phase contrast MR Angiography.  US Patent No. 5, 031, 624  July 1991.
  • Mistretta CA, Korosec FR, Weber DM:  Adaptive ray tracing for MR angiography.  US Patent No. 5,204,627, April 1993.
  • Mistretta CA, Korosec FR, Weber DW, Grist TM:  NMR angiography using fast pulse sequences with Preparatory Pulses. US Patent  5,285,158, 1994.
  • Mistretta CA, Polzin JA, Alley MT: Measurement of Flow Using A Complex Difference Method Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, US Patent 5,408,180, April 18, 1995.
  • Mistretta CA:  Catheter holding apparatus, US Patent 5,405,110, April 1995.
  • CA Mistretta, F Korosec, R Frayne, T Grist, and J. Polzin Method for Producing A Time-Resolved Series of 3D Magnetic Resonance Angiograms During the First Passage of Contrast Agent, US Patent 5,713,358, Feb. 3, 1998.
  • CA Mistretta, F Korosec, R Frayne and T Grist, Digital Subtraction Magnetic Resonance Angiography with Artifact Suppression, US Patent 5,881,728, March 16, 1999.
  • CA Mistretta, F Korosec, R Frayne and T Grist, Gated 3D Digital Subtraction Magnetic Resonance Angiography, US Patent 5,830,142, Nov.3, 1998.
  • CA Mistretta, F Korosec, T Grist, and R Frayne. Three Dimensional digital Subtraction Magnetic Resonance Angiography With Limited K-Space Mask, US Patent 5,873,825, Feb. 23. 1999.
  • TJ Carroll and CA Mistretta, Contrast-guided Reconstruction in 3D Contrast-Enhanced MRA, US Patent 6,195,579, Feb. 27, 2001.
  • K Vigen, CA Mistretta, F R Korosec, R Frayne, and TM Grist, Time Resolved Digital Subtraction Magnetic Resonance Angiography Using Echo-Planar Imaging, US Patent No. 6,044,290, March 28, 2000.
  • A. Barger and C. Mistretta, Phase Contrast Imaging using Interleaved Projections, US Patent 6,188,922 Feb 13, 2001.
  • CA Mistretta, TM Grist, TJ Carroll, and Y Mazaheri- Magnetic Resonance. Angiography with Vessel Segmentation, April 30, 2002, US Patent 6,381,486.
  • C. Mistretta, A. Barger, and W. Block, Magnetic Resonance Imaging using Undersampled 3D Projection imaging, US Patent 6,487,435, Nov 26, 2002.
  • CA Mistretta, TM Grist, Y Mazaheri, J Du, TJ Carroll and WF Block, Dual resolution Acquisition of Magnetic Resonance Angiography Data with Vessel Segmentation, US Patent No. 6,556,856, April 29, 2003.
  • CA Mistretta Floating Table 3D Isotropic Projection Imaging. US Patent No. 6,671,536, Dec. 30, 2003.
  • CA Mistretta and D. Peters, Rapid Acquisition Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using Radial Projections, US Patent 6,630,828 B1, Oct.7, 2003.
  • CA Mistretta, Three Dimensional Phase Contrast imaging Using Interleaved Projection Data. US Patent 6,954,067, Oct. 11, 2005
  • Time Resolved Computed Tomography Angiography, US Patent 6,983,182, Jan. 3, 2006.
  • CA Mistretta, K Johnson and T Gu,Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Dual Velocity Encoded Projection Reconstruction Acquisition, US Patent 7,049,816,  May 23,/2006.
  • CA Mistretta and TR Mackie, Virtual Spherical Anode Computed Tomography, US Patent 7,333,588, Dec.3, 2004
  • GH Chen and CA Mistretta  A Fourier Space Formulation of Tomographic Image Reconstruction, US Patent 7,209,535.
  • CA Mistretta, HA Rowley, M. Van Lysel, and GH Chen, X-ray system for use in Image Guided Procedures, Us Patent No. 7,218,702, May 15, 2007.
  • CA Mistretta, AL Alexander, Diffusion Tensor Imaging Using Highly Constrained Image Reconstruction , US Patent 7358730, April 15, 2008
  • CA Mistretta, Highly Constrained Reconstruction Method. Us Patent No. 7,519,412, April 14, 2009.
  • CA Mistretta, Backprojection Reconstruction Method for CT Imaging. US Patent No. 7545901, July 7,2006
  • CA Mistretta, SB Reeder, J Perry, O Wieben, Highly Constrained Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Image Reconstruction Method. US Patent 7408347, Sept. 21, 200
  • S Leng, C. McCollough, L Yu, JG Fletcher,and CA Mistretta: System and Method for Improved Energy Series of Images Using Multi-Energy CT, US Patent 9208585 B2, Dec. 8, 2015

Pending Patents

  • CA Mistretta, J V. Velikina, K M. Johnson, Localized and Highly Constrained Image Reconstruction.
  • CA Mistretta, KM Johnson, JV Velikina, TM Grist, Contrast Enhanced MRA with Highly constrained Backprojection using A Phase Contrast Composite Image.
  • CA Mistretta, OWieben, JV Velikina, KM Johnson, A Method for Reducing Motion Artifacts In Highly Constrained Medical Imaging.
  • CA Mistretta, JV Velikina, O Wieben, Reconstruction Method for Images of the Beating Heart.
  • CA Mistretta, O Wieben, KM Johnson, JV Velikina, Highly Constrained Reconstruction of Velocity Encoded MR Images.
  • CA Mistretta,Walter Block, Title: Image Acquisition and Reconstruction Method for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
  • CA Mistretta, Image Reconstruction Method for Cardiac Gated Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
  • CA Mistretta, Backprojection Reconstruction Method for Undersampled MR.
  • CA Mistretta, J Mertes-Mistretta, E. Oberstar and E. Brodsky, Vision System  and Method For Motion Adaptive Integration of image Frames
  • CA Mistretta and J Zagzebski , Method For Producing Highly Constrained Ultrasound Images.
  • CA Mistretta and CM Strother, System and Method For Four Dimensional Angiography and Fluoroscopy
  • CA Mistretta and CM Strother, Method and Apparatus for Filtration Reduced Equalized Exposure Computed Tomography.
  • CA Mistretta and CM Strother, System and Method of 4D Time-Energy Subtraction Computed Tomography.

Memberships

  • Society of Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • International Society for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • National Academy of Engineering
  • The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
  • The Academy of Radiology Research