A new scanning technology will save critical minutes in the treatment of thrombosis in the brain. The researchers behind the technique expect it to help reduce permanent injury for the many Danes who are struck down by thrombosis in the brain each year.

2014.01.24 | Lotte Fisker Jørgensen

Consultants will be able to see damaged and viable brain tissue after a thrombosis in less than a minute with the new technology.

“The sooner, the better”. This is the all-important principle in the treatment of patients with thrombosis in the brain. Because the more time that passes, the greater the brain damage. Today it takes between 30 minutes and a full hour from the patient arriving at the hospital to the start of the treatment, as the patient first has to have a MRI scan in order to be given the correct treatment - and a specialised neuroradiologist must assess the scanning images. 

Now there is hope that it will be possible to treat patients even faster in the future. With new software for scanners developed by researchers at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, the image analysis can be carried out lightning fast:

“A thrombosis in the brain is one of the most feared and frequent diseases and in just a few hours it can lead to disability or death. The technology that we have developed can - in less than a minute - map both damaged and viable brain tissue after a thrombosis. It will help to significantly shorten the time used for examination and thereby also reduce the time during which the brain is at risk of becoming more damaged,” says PhD and Associate Professor Kim Mouridsen from Aarhus University, and adds:

“We expect the technology to help extend state-of-the-art treatment to more hospitals. The treatment available today requires highly specialised doctors who are not always present at all hospitals. With the new image analysis we will be able - regardless of the hospital or the time of day - to quickly help guide the optimal treatment.”

Promising test results

He expects the technique to contribute to helping reduce the degree of brain Injury after a thrombosis in the brain. A thrombosis strikes down 15,000 Danes each year. 4,700 die from the disease and more than half of those who are affected by a thrombosis in the brain suffer permanent injury.

Together with colleagues from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Kim Mouridsen has worked to develop the technique over a number of years. The preliminary test results are good. The technology has been tested on more than 220 patients in five different countries. In 93 percent of cases the expert assessment concurred with the technical analysis of the scanning images.

From research to use

The next step for the researchers is to establish collaboration with a scanning company, so that the technology can find its way into the hospitals. SEED Capital has just invested millions in the market development of the technology.

Vice-Dean for Knowledge Exchange Michael Hasenkam is pleased that the research findings will benefit society:

“At Aarhus University, Health, we are pleased that the researchers behind the invention have not only carried out a fantastic example of research collaboration, but that they also take the extra step that ensures the practical application of the research results through collaboration with expert business partners. In this way the researchers ensure that knowledge is translated into value for society. This is knowledge transfer exactly as it should be done,” says Michael Hasenkam.

Facts

• Together with his colleague Mikkel Bo Hansen, PhD, Kim Mouridsen has formed the company COMBAT Stroke ApS
• The company is a spin-out from the Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience and MINDLab at Aarhus University
• SEED Capital has, together with DTU Symbion Innovation, invested millions in the further development of the technology
• The technology is based on an advanced algorithm, which can quickly identify brain tissue with a reduced blood flow. At the same time, the algorithm localises the part of this tissue that is already dead, and the difference between these areas, the so-called ischemic penumbra, is expected to be saveable with fast treatment.

Contact

Kim Mouridsen, Associate Professor, PhD
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience and MINDLab
Tel.: +45 7846 4404 / +45 2980 5090
kim@cfin.dk

J. Michael Hasenkam, Professor and Vice-dean for Knowledge Exchange
Aarhus University, Health
Tel.: +45 4091 3616
Hasenkam@sun.au.dk