Portable MRIs almost as effective as standard MRIs in detecting strokes


Date:
April 20, 2022
Source:
Yale University
Summary:
Portable MRI machines, an emerging technology that makes medical
imaging accessible even in remote locations, detected ischemic
strokes, or strokes caused by clotting, in 90% of patients scanned,
according to a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Portable MRI machines, an emerging technology that makes medical imaging accessible even in remote locations, detected ischemic strokes, or
strokes caused by clotting, in 90% of patients scanned, according to a
study led by Yale and Harvard researchers.


========================================================================== Previous studies have shown that portable MRI devices can also detect
strokes caused by bleeding in the brain, which are distinct from
strokes caused by brain clots. The ability of portable MRI machines to differentiate the two types of stroke will help clinicians make crucial life-saving treatment decisions quickly in remote areas for patients
who lack ready access to major hospitals with expensive stationary MRI machines, the authors say.

The findings are published April 20 in the journal Science Advances.

"This is the first systematic evidence you can detect ischemic strokes
using portable, bedside devices," said Kevin Sheth, a professor of
neurology and neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and co-corresponding author of the study.

Outcomes for stroke patients improve dramatically the quicker they receive treatment. But access to stationary MRI machines is limited for those
who live far away from major hospitals or in developing countries. And
even stroke patients who have access to major hospitals often have to
wait for scans with stationary MRIs because of heavy demand for the
equipment. Portable scans can be employed at a patient's bedside, in ambulances, or at clinics in remote areas, Sheth said.

In addition, quickly differentiating between different types of stroke is crucial for determining proper treatment, the researchers say. Ischemic
strokes are usually treated with blood thinners. But that course of
treatment is dangerous for those who experience hemorrhagic strokes or
strokes in which there is bleeding in the brain.

In an analysis of portable MRI scans from 50 patients at Yale New Haven Hospital, the Yale and Harvard researchers found that the results largely confirmed ischemic stroke diagnoses made by stationary MRIs. For 45
of those patients, the portable MRI detected blood clots as small as 4 millimeters in size.

Sheth and his team have received funding from the National Institutes of
Health to conduct large-scale studies of portable MRI use in different settings.

Matthew Yuen from the Yale School of Medicine is lead author of the
study. W.

Taylor Kimberly of Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital is co- corresponding author.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Yale_University. Original written
by Bill Hathaway. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Matthew M. Yuen, Anjali M. Prabhat, Mercy H. Mazurek, Isha
R. Chavva,
Anna Crawford, Bradley A. Cahn, Rachel Beekman, Jennifer A. Kim,
Kevin T.

Gobeske, Nils H. Petersen, Guido J. Falcone, Emily J. Gilmore,
David Y.

Hwang, Adam S. Jasne, Hardik Amin, Richa Sharma, Charles Matouk,
Adrienne Ward, Joseph Schindler, Lauren Sansing, Adam de Havenon,
Ani Aydin, Charles Wira, Gordon Sze, Matthew S. Rosen, W. Taylor
Kimberly, Kevin N.

Sheth. Portable, low-field magnetic resonance imaging enables
highly accessible and dynamic bedside evaluation of ischemic
stroke. Science Advances, 2022; 8 (16) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm3952 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220420151359.htm

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