Analysis: Plaque 'Sander' Safety Durable
But that will never occur because we have NO thought leaders or strategists in stroke.WAITING ONCE AGAIN FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Imaging stroke risk in 4D
Northwestern University News
New MRI technique detects blood flow velocity to identify who is most at risk for stroke.
Markl, who is a professor of biomedical engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and of radiology in the Feinberg School of Medicine, has developed a new imaging technique that can help predict who is most at risk for stroke. This breakthrough could lead to better treatment and outcomes for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Supported by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, the research was described online in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.
Markl’s cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging test can detect the blood’s velocity through the heart and body. Called “atrial 4D flow CMR,” the technique is non–invasive and does not require contrast agents. The imaging program, which images blood flow dynamically and in the three spatial dimensions, comes in the form of software that can also be integrated into current MRI equipment without the need of special hardware and scanners or equipment upgrades.
“We simply programmed the scanner to generate information differently — in a way that wasn’t previously available,” Markl said. “It allows you to measure flow, diffusion of molecules, and tissue elasticity. You can interrogate the human body in a very detailed manner.” Markl’s 4D flow imaging technique can give a more precise assessment of who needs the medication, preventing physicians from over treating their patients. In a pilot study with 60 patients and a control group, Markl found that atrial fibrillation patients who would have been considered high risk for stroke by the traditional scoring system in fact had normal blood flow, while patients who were considered lower risk sometimes had the slow blood flow indicative of potential clotting.
“About 50 or 60 percent of patients who you would consider high risk actually had normal flows,” Markl said. “You could then hypothesize that those 50 percent don’t really need the treatment.”
Markl plans to continue following atrial fibrillation patients as a part of a long–term study to better understand the predictive power and diagnostic value of his new imaging technique. His team is also developing algorithms and tools to make it easier to analyze the data. “The challenge lies in the complexity of the technology,” Markl said. “We want to integrate tools that help deliver test results within a matter of minutes.”
Markl, who is a professor of biomedical engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and of radiology in the Feinberg School of Medicine, has developed a new imaging technique that can help predict who is most at risk for stroke. This breakthrough could lead to better treatment and outcomes for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Supported by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, the research was described online in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.
Markl’s cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging test can detect the blood’s velocity through the heart and body. Called “atrial 4D flow CMR,” the technique is non–invasive and does not require contrast agents. The imaging program, which images blood flow dynamically and in the three spatial dimensions, comes in the form of software that can also be integrated into current MRI equipment without the need of special hardware and scanners or equipment upgrades.
“We simply programmed the scanner to generate information differently — in a way that wasn’t previously available,” Markl said. “It allows you to measure flow, diffusion of molecules, and tissue elasticity. You can interrogate the human body in a very detailed manner.” Markl’s 4D flow imaging technique can give a more precise assessment of who needs the medication, preventing physicians from over treating their patients. In a pilot study with 60 patients and a control group, Markl found that atrial fibrillation patients who would have been considered high risk for stroke by the traditional scoring system in fact had normal blood flow, while patients who were considered lower risk sometimes had the slow blood flow indicative of potential clotting.
“About 50 or 60 percent of patients who you would consider high risk actually had normal flows,” Markl said. “You could then hypothesize that those 50 percent don’t really need the treatment.”
Markl plans to continue following atrial fibrillation patients as a part of a long–term study to better understand the predictive power and diagnostic value of his new imaging technique. His team is also developing algorithms and tools to make it easier to analyze the data. “The challenge lies in the complexity of the technology,” Markl said. “We want to integrate tools that help deliver test results within a matter of minutes.”
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