Stroke monitor as a device improving diagnostic value of computed tomography in hyperacute stroke

Abstract

Stroke Monitor as a computer-assisted support of ischemic stroke diagnosis was presented in this paper. Computer analysis, processing and image understanding was based on nonenhanced CT examinations acquired in hyperacute phase of stroke. The multiscale extraction of the subtlest signs of hypodensity in diagnostically important areas was designed to improve standard diagnosis procedure based on CT scan soft-copy review. Proposed method includes evidence-based description of ischemic conditions and changes, deskulling and segmenting of unusual areas, the analysis of hypodensity signs across scales and subbands with noise reduction and hypodensity extraction. Following visualization forms of empowered hypodensity symptoms localizes suggested ischemic areas in source brain image space. Increased visibility of cerebral ischemia for difficult-in-diagnosis cases was experimentally noticed and improved diagnostic value of CT was concluded. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.