Cone-Beam Imaging Shows Promise for Reducing Time to Stroke Care

July 24, 2018—The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) announced the presentation of a study that suggests that in the future, stroke patients can bypass a CT scan or the emergency department and go directly to the angiosuite for imaging and proper care. The study found that new stroke imaging technology could decrease delays in care by up to 60 minutes, giving patients a better chance at making a full recovery.

"New Multiple CT Assessment of Acute Stroke Patients: Are We Ready for Prime Time?" was presented at the SNIS 15th annual meeting held July 23–26 in San Francisco, California.

According to SNIS, the study demonstrated that recent advances in imaging software in the angiosuite give neurointerventionalists the essential details required to diagnose a patient with large vessel occlusion for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). Currently, the time required to transfer a patient from a CT scan to the operating room could delay EVT up to 60 minutes.

The study's preliminary results show that the cone-beam imaging software compares favorably with baseline and follow-up CT scans. The imaging allows accurate detection of hemorrhage, occlusion site, ischemic core, and tissue at risk. This suggests that baseline imaging can be performed in the angiosuite using cone-beam imaging.

Study investigator Nicole Cancelliere, who is an interventional clinical research technologist at Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, commented in the SNIS announcement, “By using this technology in the angiosuite, hospitals can reduce intrafacility transfer delays and hence the time of stroke symptom onset to treatment, which will significantly reduce brain damage and improve outcomes for patients.”

Lead Investigator of the study, Professor Vitor Mendes Pereira, MD, concluded, “By reducing intrafacility transfer times, patients can receive EVT treatment sooner, which can significantly impact patient outcomes.”