Ultrafast Brain Imaging for Stroke Patients

However, CT cannot identify the parts of the brain that are at risk of damage, as MRI can. Researchers studied 24 patients with clinical diagnosis of probably acute middle cerebral artery stroke to compare images obtained with conventional MRI and with the three-minute protocol using multi-channel, phased-array brain coils, which can produce the same number of images in a fraction of the time. Although the two protocols were similar in image quality and diagnostic results, two of the three-minute protocol images were of better quality because the faster imaging eliminated complications from patient movement. It also correctly identified blockage that needed treatment.

"The three-minute head scan is as good as the 20-minute version, and in some instances better because stroke patients may be distressed and move around,” said study co-author Jonathan H. Gillard, M.D., consultant neuroradiologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge (UK). The results were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago (IL, USA).




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Addenbrooke's Hospital