Blood flow measurement software uses MRI to identify high-risk stroke patients
VasSol, Inc., a medical technology company based in River Forest, Ill., says a recent study published in JAMA Neurology confirms the effectiveness of its MRI blood-flow measurement software in successfully identifying patients at a higher risk of recurrent stroke.
The six-year trial found that patients who suffer a stroke located near the back of the brain and continue to experience reduced blood flow in the region have an elevated risk of experiencing another stroke within the next two years.
The study was conducted using VasSol’s NOVA software, which assesses blood flow in the back of patient’s brains using magnetic resonance imaging, according to a company press release.
“NOVA is the only technology that can visualize and quantify the volume, speed and direction of blood flowing through any major vessel of the brain,” said Fady Charbel, MD, VasSol chief scientific officer and inventor of NOVA. “Identifying those at highest risk for a stroke makes studying the condition easier and leads to better, more precise therapies and more focused implementation of healthcare resources.”
Similar conclusions were drawn by lead author Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, MD, and her colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who stressed the importance of utilizing this new technology to better craft care management strategies.
“Distal flow status determined using a noninvasive and practical imaging tool is robustly associated with risk for subsequent stroke in patients with symptomatic atherosclerotic (vertebrobasilar) occlusive disease,” wrote Amin-Hanjani, et al. “Identification of high-risk patients has important implications for future investigation of more aggressive interventional or medical therapies.”
VasSol’s NOVA software, which won FDA clearance in 2001, is currently installed in more than 40 hospitals across the U.S. according to the press release.
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