A portable microwave device, or as it is also called - a "microwave helmet", can be used at a prehospital stage to assess the severity of the craniocerebral trauma.

On the prospects of the "microwave helmet" in the diagnosis of brain damage read on the pages of the Journal of Neurotrauma.

The tests of the original device, carried out by the staff of the Chalmers Technical University and the University of Salgren (Sweden), confirmed: a microwave helmet quickly reveals intracranial hemorrhages resulting from a traumatic brain injury.

Moreover, the novelty is simply irreplaceable in the diagnosis of strokes.

"Microwave technology offers us a simple and safe approach to assessing the consequences of traumatic brain injury at the prehospital stage before the patient is taken to the neurosurgical department. This helmet will save thousands of lives, "said Dr. Johan Ljungqvist, a leading neurosurgeon at Salgren University Hospital in Gothenburg.

The report of the researchers indicates that the microwave helmet successfully solves other problems facing neurologists and neurosurgeons. In particular, it allows to differentiate ischemic (caused by a thrombus) and hemorrhagic (caused by a hemorrhage) stroke - two urgent conditions that require a fundamentally different approach to treatment.

Craniocerebral trauma - a global medical problem.

Craniocerebral injury (TBI) is a variety of contact damage to the brain, bones and soft tissues of the skull, which can lead to violations of the functions of the nervous system of varying severity.

According to statistics, mortality from TBI in developed countries is highest among people older than 65 years. Only in the United States, emergency departments annually receive about 2,500,000 people with traumatic brain injuries. Every day in this country, TBI takes a hundred and fifty lives. Experts call TBI among the main causes of disability.

The consequences of craniocerebral trauma affect memory, thinking, movement, vision, hearing and emotional sphere. Depression and personality changes can affect the personal and social life of the patient. In most cases, the consequences of craniocerebral trauma (CCT) are limited to a few days, but some people remain incurable violations for the rest of their lives.

Role of microwave devices in the diagnosis of craniocerebral trauma.

Dr. Linkvist notes that the key to improving outcomes with TBI is timely diagnosis, assessment of the severity and nature of injury and proper treatment. It is for this and need a microwave helmet.

The diagnostic tool consists of three main parts:.

- Computer for the collection and analysis of research results.

- Actually helmet with microwave antennas.

- Generator of microwave pulses The principle of operation of the microwave helmet is simple and genial: the generated devices of the microwave propagate through the brain tissue of the patient, differently reflected from the healthy and affected areas. The computer collects and processes the reflected signal, displaying on the screen information about the location and size of the hemorrhage.

Similarity of ultrasound, only with microwaves.

Reliability?.

If you believe the results of the first tests with CT control - more than enough for use outside the clinic. The device determines intracranial hemorrhages with 100% sensitivity and 75% specificity (the trials involved patients with chronic subdural hematoma and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage).

"Microwave devices are a revolution in diagnosis. Fast, flexible and excellent value for money, "said one of the creators of the helmet, Michael Persson, professor of biomedical engineering.

medbe. en.

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