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Real time monitoring of stroke using light and sound

Date:
March 5, 2025
Source:
Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH)
Summary:
Researchers have successfully observed early vascular changes in stroke using an innovative photoacoustic technique.
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Every year, millions of people die from stroke. In order to win against this disease which occurs the moment when a blood vessel is blocked in brain, a POSTECH research team made a breakthrough with a cutting-edge technology combining light and sound.

Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide. In particular, ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to your brain is blocked. If treatment is delayed, a patient will have accelerated brain tissue damage; making it virtually impossible to recover. The existing technologies such as CT and MRI have limitations capturing any early vascular changes in real-time. Furthermore, animal model researches have limitations with scope and efficiency.

To solve this, the POSTECH research team developed a photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) that combines light and ultrasound. The research team applied a complex scanning method that combines linear and rotational scanning to synthesize images from multiple angles into one. It is the same method used to take images from different directions and reconstitute them into a 3D image. Using this technology, the research team was able to non-invasively monitor cerebrovascular changes within small animals with the early stages of an ischemic stroke in real time; successfully analyzed vascular changes in a wide region with precision.

In addition, the team developed an algorithm that non-invasively observes hemoglobin and measures oxygen saturation in each blood vessel in real time by utilizing multi-wavelength photoacoustic imaging within a near-infrared region. This allowed the team to precisely monitor not only ischemic lesions but also collateral blood flow and neovascular changes. These results were proven reliable compared to the existing pathological tissue tests, and showed that the new PACT system can effectively track the vascular recovery process after stroke.

The POSTECH research team said, "The most significant result from this research is that we can now have precise observation of blood flow changes without using contrast." This will provide new experimental approaches not only for stroke treatment research but also for research on various neurological and vascular diseases."


Story Source:

Materials provided by Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH). Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Jiwoong Kim, Joo Young Kweon, Seongwook Choi, Hyunseo Jeon, Minsik Sung, Rongkang Gao, Chengbo Liu, Chulhong Kim, Yong Joo Ahn. Non‐Invasive Photoacoustic Cerebrovascular Monitoring of Early‐Stage Ischemic Strokes In Vivo. Advanced Science, 2024; 12 (4) DOI: 10.1002/advs.202409361

Cite This Page:

Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH). "Real time monitoring of stroke using light and sound." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 March 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250305135208.htm>.
Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH). (2025, March 5). Real time monitoring of stroke using light and sound. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 30, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250305135208.htm
Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH). "Real time monitoring of stroke using light and sound." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250305135208.htm (accessed March 30, 2025).

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