Improving Stroke Diagnosis: PNI Stroke Team Presents Life-Saving Research

Director of the Pacific Stroke and Neurovascular Center, Jason Tarpley, MD, PhD, presented how AI-based gaze deviation detection could aid LVO diagnosis in NCCT at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 19th annual meeting in Toronto, 2022.

Improving stroke diagnosis

A new study presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 19th Annual Meeting shows that artificial intelligence (AI) technology can identify when a patient is having a stroke caused by emergent large vessel occlusion (LVO), therefore making them a candidate for endovascular therapy (EVT). Getting a diagnosis quickly is critical and can be the difference between a life of disability versus rehabilitation for stroke patients.

The study, “AI Based Gaze Deviation Detection to Aid LVO Diagnosis in NCCT,” used AI algorithms to detect gaze deviation from a non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT scan). A deviated gaze is an abnormal movement of the eyes. These scans predict if a patient is having an LVO, which is a type of ischemic stroke that occurs when a major artery in the brain is blocked. If a patient is having this type of stroke, they can receive EVT to treat it.

EVT, also known as thrombectomy, is a minimally invasive procedure that uses catheters to reopen blocked arteries in the brain quickly. With each hour in which treatment fails to occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging. This is why it is crucial that patients get to the proper hospital and receive this procedure as soon as possible. AI has the potential to make sure this happens.

“Endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke is one of the most effective therapies in medicine and its efficacy is critically dependent on time,” said Jason Tarpley, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and Director of the Pacific Stroke and Neurovascular Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. “Simply put, the faster we act, the better our stroke patients’ outcomes will be. Our results represent an advance that has the potential to speed up the identification of LVO stroke during the triage process at the hospital.”

In the study, the AI algorithm was trained using a set of 200 scans to identify gaze direction. It then identified clinical symptoms of ipsiversive gaze deviation – or when the eyes are looking in the direction of the stroke – in 116 stroke patients with LVO, treated with EVT. The deviation was calculated by measuring the angle between the gaze direction and the midline of the brain. The algorithm correctly identified 79% of proximal occlusions with an ipsiversive gaze deviation. It had a more difficult time identifying cases with less severe symptoms.

Source: Society of NeuroInterventitonal Surgery.

About Pacific Stroke & Neurovascular Center

Pacific Stroke and Neurovascular Center offers leading-edge treatments and nationally recognized care for all types of neurovascular disorders at four locations in southern California. Our comprehensive stroke centers are staffed by highly qualified and seasoned experts. Every stroke and neurovascular patient is seen by fellowship-trained neurovascular stroke specialists rather than generalists. You can be confident of your care in the experienced and capable hands of our team of neurointerventional surgeons, vascular neurologists and neurosurgeons.

Stroke Center & Neurovascular Locations

The Pacific Stroke and Neurovascular Center’s state-of-the-art facilities are located at:

Providence Saint John’s Health Center
2125 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-829-8319 

Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance
4201 Torrance Blvd., Suite 520, Torrance, CA 90503
 424-212-5340 

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
501 S. Buena Vista Ave., Burbank, CA 90505
818-847-6049

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
15031 Rinaldi St, Mission Hills, CA 91345
818-847-6570