A new device that uses near-infrared light to monitor blood flow could be used to quickly and noninvasively diagnose cerebral ischemia, said researchers from the Army Medical University and China Academy of Engineering Physics. The work is described in AIP Advances, from AIP Publishing.
Stroke, one of the leading causes of death worldwide, is normally caused by poor blood flow to the brain, or cerebral ischemia. This condition must be diagnosed within the first few hours of the stroke for treatment to be effective, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Stroke
Stroke can cause permanent disability and it is important to recognize its early warning signs to stop its progress. Early warning signs of stroke include sudden weakness of facial muscles.
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‘Cheap and compact instrument based on two near-infrared light techniques diagnoses poor blood flow quickly and noninvasively.’
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Liguo Zhu, an author on the study, said that the instrument works thanks to near-infrared diffuse optical spectroscopy, which analyzes light scattered from tissues to calculate the amount of oxygen and blood within an area, and diffuse correlation spectroscopy, which analyzes fluctuations in tissue-scattered light to measure the rate of blood flow, or blood flow index.
"We can measure blood volume, blood oxygenation and blood flow using suitable near-infrared techniques," Zhu said, adding that near-infrared light penetrates 1 to 3 centimeters and allows researchers to probe under the skin.
![Quiz on Stroke]( "Quiz on Stroke")
Stroke is the third leading cause of death world over. Besides, it also disables the affected people, making them completely dependent on caregivers for their daily needs. Lifestyle greatly affects the chances of developing a stroke. Thus, the incidence of stroke can be brought down to a great extent by leading a healthy lifestyle. Here is a quiz that tests if you know enough about this disabling
To test their instrument, the authors strapped a device probe to a human subject's forearm, then inflated an arm cuff around the subject's bicep to block off blood circulation. The authors found that the measured light attenuated, or reduced in intensity, as blood flow was cut off and brightened again when the arm cuff was removed -- mirroring the decrease and subsequent increase in oxygen and blood at the probe area. At the same time, the measured autocorrelation, or time lag, function decayed less rapidly when blood flow was cut off, showing that blood was moving more slowly through the area.
The team's device can record a comprehensive profile of a body part's hemodynamics, or blood circulation, said Hua Feng, another author on the study. This capability contrasts those of previous instruments, which could only characterize certain aspects of blood flow. Feng added that devices should measure as many "hemodynamic parameters" as necessary to obtain an accurate diagnosis, as "the hemodynamics of stroke is complex."
The device has another advantage: It is cheap and compact.
"(Both techniques) share the same detectors, which decreases the number of detectors (compared to other instruments)," Zhu said. "The optical switch makes the combination of incoherent and coherent light sources simple, and the custom software makes measurement quick."
Source: Eurekalert
Quiz on Stroke
Stroke is the third leading cause of death world over. Besides, it also disables the affected people, making them completely dependent on caregivers for their daily needs. Lifestyle greatly affects the chances of developing a stroke. Thus, the incidence of stroke can be brought down to a great extent by leading a healthy lifestyle. Here is a quiz that tests if you know enough about this disabling
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To test their instrument, the authors strapped a device probe to a human subject's forearm, then inflated an arm cuff around the subject's bicep to block off blood circulation. The authors found that the measured light attenuated, or reduced in intensity, as blood flow was cut off and brightened again when the arm cuff was removed -- mirroring the decrease and subsequent increase in oxygen and blood at the probe area. At the same time, the measured autocorrelation, or time lag, function decayed less rapidly when blood flow was cut off, showing that blood was moving more slowly through the area.
The team's device can record a comprehensive profile of a body part's hemodynamics, or blood circulation, said Hua Feng, another author on the study. This capability contrasts those of previous instruments, which could only characterize certain aspects of blood flow. Feng added that devices should measure as many "hemodynamic parameters" as necessary to obtain an accurate diagnosis, as "the hemodynamics of stroke is complex."
The device has another advantage: It is cheap and compact.
"(Both techniques) share the same detectors, which decreases the number of detectors (compared to other instruments)," Zhu said. "The optical switch makes the combination of incoherent and coherent light sources simple, and the custom software makes measurement quick."
Source: Eurekalert
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Stroke Risk Calculator checks if you have hypertension, diabetes and heart failure and predicts the risk of stroke (cerebrovascular accident) in next 10 years.
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 Stroke - Top Ten FactsStroke is the third most common cause of death and the most prominent cause of physical deformity in the world | Advertisement
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