1. A method of evaluating tissue characteristics in a patient, comprising: electronically analysis to image data to determine a pattern of at least one pixel parameter within a three dimensional tissue volume of a region of interest to evaluate whether the pattern is (i) clustered or (ii) distributed or diffuse; and determining a potential of a global injury, global abnormal tissue, or global abnormal accumulation of materials not found in normal ratios within native tissue based on the determined pattern, wherein the global injury, global abnormal tissue, and/or global abnormal accumulation is due to a change in tissue composition and/or function that is in a diffuse and/or distributed pattern in the region of interest.