The Infrascanner, a handheld device for screening in situ for the presence of brain haematomas

Purpose: Early identification and treatment of intracranial haematomas in patients sustaining traumatic brain injury is fundamental to successful treatment. This pilot study evaluates the Infrascanner as a handheld medical screening tool for detection, in situ, of brain haematomas in patients with h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain injury 2010-01, Vol.24 (10), p.1193-1201
Main Authors: Leon-Carrion, Jose, Dominguez-Roldan, Jose Maria, Leon-Dominguez, Umberto, Murillo-Cabezas, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Brain Injuries - complications
Cerebral Hemorrhage - diagnostic imaging
Cerebral Hemorrhage - etiology
Critical care
emergency
Emergency Medical Services
Female
head injury
Hematoma - diagnostic imaging
Hematoma - etiology
Humans
Infrared Rays
Male
Middle Aged
near-infrared spectroscopy
neurotraumatology
Pilot Projects
Radiography
traumatic brain injury
Young Adult
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Summary:Purpose: Early identification and treatment of intracranial haematomas in patients sustaining traumatic brain injury is fundamental to successful treatment. This pilot study evaluates the Infrascanner as a handheld medical screening tool for detection, in situ, of brain haematomas in patients with head injury. Methods: This study included 35 TBI patients aged 17-76 (M = 47.6), admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit and observation unit of a University Hospital in a Level 1 trauma centre. The Infrascanner™ NIRS device uses near infrared light measurements to calculate optical density in brain regions. Results: Results show Infrascanner sensitivity at 89.5% and specificity at 81.2%. PPV was 85% and NPV 86.7%. The device detected 90% of extra-axial, 88.9% of intra-axial and 93.3% of non-surgical haematomas (less than 25 mL). PPV for this classification was 82.3%; 87.5% sensitivity was found when the Infrascanner exam was performed within 12 hours post-trauma, whereas after 12 hours post-trauma, exams had 90.1% sensitivity. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the Infrascanner is useful in initial examinations and screenings of patients with head injury as an adjunct to a CT scan or when it is not available and may allow earlier treatment and reduce secondary injury caused by present and delayed haematomas.
ISSN:0269-9052
1362-301X
DOI:10.3109/02699052.2010.506636