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Helmet with microwaves will help in the timely diagnosis of the type of stroke
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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A special device in the form of a helmet, through which the brain tissue is examined, will help specialists in the shortest possible time to determine the type of stroke. Such a device is capable of early detection and quite effectively diagnose the disease, which, undoubtedly, will affect the quality of treatment. To date, according to statistics, stroke is the fourth most common death rate in the United States.
Every year in America, more than 130,000 deaths from strokes are registered, and about 800,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.
There are two main types of stroke:
- ischemic (or cerebral infarction) develops with acute impairment of blood circulation (thrombus). This type of stroke is the most common, ischemic stroke is diagnosed in 80% of cases.
- Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery ruptures, which supplies the blood to the brain
In both types of strokes, there is a decrease in cerebral blood flow.
Forecasts for stroke depend on the location and damage to the brain. Stroke can lead to paralysis, loss of memory, speech, vision, and deaths are also common. In addition, for each type of stroke, specific treatment is performed. Typically, with ischemic stroke, thrombose-reducing drugs are prescribed, but with hemorrhagic stroke such treatment is contraindicated.
At present, the main problem of physicians is that according to external manifestations of the disease it is not always possible to determine what type of stroke a patient has, and without this it is impossible to prescribe a treatment. As a rule, patients are compelled to undergo computed tomography, which takes time. If within three to four hours from the onset of an onset of acute thrombolytic treatment, it will help to significantly reduce or even prevent the symptoms of ischemic stroke. If doctors are able to quickly diagnose the type of stroke, they can quickly assign effective treatment, which in turn will reduce potential brain damage.
The research team conducted a helmet test, which by means of a small microwave radiation builds a picture of the vessels in the brain. As noted by the developers, such a device will help quickly and effectively eliminate the resulting violations in the blood circulation of the brain, which will allow patients to increase their chances of recovery.
The new device was tested by specialists in stationary conditions on patients (nearly 50 people took part in the testing). It is worth noting that the new technology is capable of self-learning, i.e. Assimilates the previous experience and with each new diagnosis the helmet shows more and more accurate results.
Specialists say that with the help of a new helmet it is impossible to prevent extensive damage to the brain, but this will help to significantly reduce the time of the patient's stay in the hospital and reduce the need for rehabilitation, which is positive not only for patients, but for the healthcare system as a whole.
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