At Canon Medical, we are collaborating with researchers worldwide to develop innovative stroke solutions. Explore some of our key findings here.

Ultrasound

What is the role of Superb Micro-vascular Imaging (SMI) in the detection of carotid plaque neovascularization?

Intraplaque neovascularization (IPN) is a key feature of plaque instability but its detection is traditionally difficult with B-mode and Doppler Imaging.
Case example of an asymptomatic patient with more than 70% carotid stenosis (predominantly hypoechoic plaque) in the right internal carotid artery. ​On CEUS, bubbles moving into the plaque core can be observed. Similarly, intraplaque microvascular flow signals moving towards the plaque core can be observed on SMI as well.
  • SMI performed in 31 patients with internal carotid stenosis ≥50% and compared to CEUS and histology

  • Very strong relationship between SMI and CEUS (correlation r=0.911, P<0.001)

  • Plaques with higher IPN grades on SMI also showed significantly more neovessels on histology
Case example of an asymptomatic patient with more than 70% carotid stenosis (predominantly hypoechoic plaque) in the right internal carotid artery. ​On CEUS, bubbles moving into the plaque core can be observed. Similarly, intraplaque microvascular flow signals moving towards the plaque core can be observed on SMI as well.
Conclusion: “These findings demonstrate that SMI can detect neovascularization with accuracy comparable to CEUS, suggesting SMI as a promising noninvasive alternative to CEUS.”

Reference:
Zamani et al. | Carotid Plaque Neovascularization Detected With Superb Microvascular Imaging Ultrasound Without Using Contrast Media | Stroke (2019)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31510899/

CT x HIT

How does whole brain (16 cm) perfusion vs. traditional brain (4 cm) perfusion support decision making?

With a scanner that acquires less than the entire brain in a rotation, the user has to make sacrifices in either coverage or accuracy. This study compared the impact of performing CT perfusion with whole brain (16 cm) coverage versus traditional (4 cm) coverage in the assessment of cerebral ischemia.
Conclusion: “The increased field of view better defined the true extent of the identified infarct core and ischemic penumbra. It also showed other areas of infarction that were not identified on the 4 cm Z-axis.”

Reference:
Page et al. | Comparison of 4 cm Z-axis and 16 cm Z-axis multidetector CT perfusion | European radiology (2010)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20013273/

Healthcare IT

What is the performance of Automation Platform (AP) in the detection of large vessel occlusion (LVO)?

303 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke symptoms.
Time from pushing case to receiving LVO results is < 70s.
Correctly predicted large vessel occlusion (LVO) in case with right middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Top row shows coronal and axial views of the correctly labeled LVO, as indicated by the red box*. Bottom row shows the same case with 2D MIP subtraction and 3D MIP subtraction (right) where you can visualize the lack of contrast distal to the occlusion. * Not available in all geographies.
All cases; n=303:
Accuracy 81%
Sensitivity 73%
Specificity 98%

Internal carotid artery (ICA); n=160:
Accuracy 95%
Sensitivity 90%
Specificity 98%
Correctly predicted large vessel occlusion (LVO) in case with right middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Top row shows coronal and axial views of the correctly labeled LVO, as indicated by the red box*. Bottom row shows the same case with 2D MIP subtraction and 3D MIP subtraction (right) where you can visualize the lack of contrast distal to the occlusion. * Not available in all geographies.
Conclusion: “Canon’s Automation Platform Stroke CT LVO application was able to accurately identify ICA and M1 MCA occlusions in addition to almost perfectly assessing when an LVO was not present.”

Reference:
Rava et al. | Validation of an Artificial Intelligence Driven Large Vessel Occlusion Detection Algorithm for Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients | The Neuroradiology Journal (2021)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33657922/
Find our latest white papers and case studies on stroke solutions using Canon technologies here.

Scientific papers

Find our latest scientific evidence on stroke solutions using Canon technologies here.

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