New 3-D ultrasound could improve stroke diagnosis, care
April 28, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
Duke University bioengineers have developed 3-D ultrasound technology that compensates for the thickness and unevenness of the skull to see in real time the arteries within the brain that most often clog up and cause strokes.
3-D ultrasound is less expensive and faster than the traditional methods of assessing blood flow in the brain, fMRI or CT scanning, but compensating for the skull’s thickness has been a challenge.
The researchers predict that within five to ten years, the technology will be miniaturized to the point where EMTs in an ambulance can scan the brain of a stroke patient and transmit the results ahead to the hospital.
