Software Program Allows Neurosurgeons to Understand Blood Flow Using MRI

The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago is one of two sites offering innovative technology

Chicago—January 21, 2006—The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago now offers a unique test to help determine the normal range of blood flow to the brain in healthy individuals who have risk factors for stroke and aneurysms. Institute doctors who used the who undergo the test gain a better understanding of how blood flow in the brain is affected by stroke, aneurysm and other cerebrovascular disorders, some of the most debilitating and deadly diseases society faces. In fact, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, causing approximately 150,000 deaths per year.

The test is called non-invasive optimal vessel analysis (NOVA) from VasSol, Inc. NOVA is the first technology to allow physicians to quantify blood flow in vessels non-invasively.

NOVA takes the images from a magnetic resonance scan and creates a three-dimensional view of the patient's vascular tree. According to Demetrius Lopes, MD, Medical Director of the vascular program at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago and one of the leading neurosurgeons in the country in diagnosing and treating neurovascular disease, NOVA allows surgeons to map the major blood vessels in the brain, as well as many of the smaller, connecting branches, and to ascertain actual flow rates. This information is use to diagnose neurovascular disease and take appropriate action to prevent the onste of stroke or the rupture of an aneurysm.

The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago is one of only 12 medical centers in the country to offer NOVA to help diagnose and treat stroke and cerebrovascular disease.

Appropriate patients for NOVA include those with hypertension, diabetes, family history of stroke or heart disease, heart disease, smoking, sedentary life style, atrial fibulation and patent foramen ovale (PFO).

Anthony Curcio, CEO of VasSol, Inc, indicated that previous studies using NOVA have shown that about five percent of those undergoing the test were found to have a previously undetected aneurysm. A brain aneurysm is a bulging area on the wall of a brain artery very much like a thin balloon or weak spot on an inner tube.

Curcio pointed out that NOVA is helping to improve the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease by providing additional information not available through any other current diagnostic test. In some cases, NOVA may also provide an alternative to more invasive tests. After a surgical intervention, many patients undergo a catheter angiogram, a test that requires both injection of contrast dye and radiation exposure. With the availability of NOVA, some patients may only need to have a non-invasive MRI.

The Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago is the country's first freestanding acute care hospital dedicated exclusively to neuroscience and orthopedic services. It utilizes breakthrough technology and minimally invasive techniques as well as advanced procedures for neurosurgery, orthopedics, pain management, neuro-oncology, sports medicine, and rehabilitation.