Several research methods are available to detect a blocked blood vessel in the brain. At the moment, making a CT scan is the most effective, but at the same time also the most expensive method that can only be performed in a hospital. If it were possible to determine the blockage outside the hospital, in an ambulance or at the doctor’s office, then treatment can start earlier, thereby saving valuable time. The ultrasound robot now in MUMC + could offer this time savings.
Time savings are crucial for treatment
Detection of a blood clot in the brain can also be performed by ultrasound. Sound waves then ‘check’ whether the blood flow in the large brain vessels is still intact. The sound waves will not return (reflect) where there is a blood clot. This research must also be carried out by a trained laboratory technician.
And that’s exactly where the ultrasound robot can offer a solution. This robot is able to perform the ultrasound examination independently within minutes. The ultrasound robot is also compact, and therefore mobile, so that it can also be used outside the hospital.
Ultrasound robot finds blood clot in minutes
For the examination, the patient must lay his head on a stand. The ultrasound robot is placed in the correct position by means of reference stickers on both sides of the head. The robot then uses real signals to search for the large blood vessels. When a blood flow is detected, the robot will optimize the echo signal. As long as the echo signal is detected on both sides of the head, there is no blockage. “If he only receives an echo signal from one side, we know that something is very likely going on,” says neurologist Rik Houben of Maastricht UMC +.
The robot must complete its research in a maximum of five minutes. During the research at the MUMC +, the diagnoses of the ultrasound robot are compared with the results of a CT scan and manual ultrasound examination. In this way it is determined whether the ultrasound robot can eventually be used permanently. “Now we only test with patients who come to the Emergency Department or the Vascular Room, but if the ultrasound robot can actually prove its added value, the next step is to use the device in the ambulance. After all, time is crucial ”, says Houben.
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