Software detects blood in stroke patients' brains

The new imaging technology promises to help doctors react immediately to changes in the blood vessels and initiate the proper treatment measures more quickly.

Previously it was only possible to capture a detailed image of the flow of blood to the brain by means of computed tomography (CT) or magnetic-resonance tomography (MR) prior to the treatment.

Treatment of a stroke is normally monitored using X-ray images, whereby a scanner rotates around the body on a C-arm. A catheter inserted into the brain either breaks up the blood clot mechanically or dissolves it. However, the X-ray image alone provides information only about the anatomy of the brain and the blood vessels, so doctors must refer to previous CT scans showing the volume of blood in the brain.

Siemens’ software, dubbed Syngo Neuro PBV IR, uses cross-sectional CT images of the body acquired from a C-arm scanner rotated around the patient. This allows soft tissue and bleeding to be observed during treatment.