Image: The Infrascanner Model 1000 NIR brain hematoma detector (Photo courtesy of Infrascan).

A new device uses near infrared (NIR) to penetrate the skull and detect intracranial hematomas at the site of injury within the “golden hour.”

The Infrascanner Model 1000 is a small, portable, handheld device with wireless detector probes placed successively in the left and right frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital areas of the head to record the absorbance of light at selected wavelengths. Based on diffused optical tomography, the device then enables the conversion of the NIR light differential data into interpretative results, as the greater local concentration of hemoglobin in the hematoma results in a greater absorbance of NIR light. By testing different regions on the skull, clinicians can quickly decide whether a follow up computerized tomography (CT) scan is needed, saving critical time.

In clinical studies, the device detected 75% of intracranial hematomas (as confirmed by CT scans), and also correctly identified 82% of the patients who did not have them. Healthcare professionals can pool data from multiple scans on certain areas of both sides of the skull with other clinical information to determine if further diagnostics, such as a CT scan, are necessary. In all cases, the scanner is not a replacement for a CT scan. The Infrascanner Model 1000 is a product of Infrascan (Philadelphia, PA, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“While patients with suspected brain injuries routinely receive a CT scan, this portable device offers emergency room physicians a noninvasive mechanism to aid in assessing whether an immediate CT scan is needed,” said Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

The principle used in identifying the intracranial hematomas is that extravascular blood absorbs NIR light more than intravascular blood, since there is a 10-fold greater concentration of hemoglobin in the acute hematoma than in normal brain tissue. Comparative absorbance of NIR light is greater--and therefore the reflected light less--on the side of the brain containing the hematoma than on the uninjured side.
 

Guangzhou Jia Yu medical equipment Limited