Currently, when patients display the symptoms of an ischemic stroke, they have to go to a hospital for brain imaging before a proper diagnosis can be made. Jan Medical, Inc. claims that its new portable brain imaging system, based on a very interesting technology, will solve this problem by allowing doctors to quickly diagnose strokes in patients in the office or in those who are en route in an ambulance. What's more is that the system can potentially be used for monitoring cerebral vasospasm in patients who suffered an intracranial bleed. The company also hopes that the system’s portability will allow for continuous monitoring of stroke patients so doctors can follow their recovery once they leave the hospital. The Mountain View, CA based company plans to present clinical trial data validating its system’s efficacy in detecting strokes later this week at the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR).


From the product page:

The portable Jan Medical brain sensing system consists of three primary components: (1) a headset with sensors; (2) a controlling digital signal processor (CPU), a.k.a. personal computer (PC); and (3) the proprietary Jan Medical-developed algorithms. The headset is responsible for acquiring signals from the brain; the PC controls the measurement process and interfaces with the operator; and the algorithms are Jan Medical’s proprietary diagnostic and prognostic intellectual property.
The system headset is an inverted submarine sonar sphere that uses signal detection methods. Instead of looking out through the special rounded bow of a submarine, the company’s ultra-sensitive accelerometers are oriented inward, using the natural characteristics of the human skull as the transfer medium. Each time the heart beats and pumps blood into the vascular system within the skull, the system is set into motion. Every cerebral blood vessel and the brain matter itself respond with a very slight sympathetic motion that has structurally defined characteristics. Veins expand and contract, aneurysms wobble, and stenoses restrict and confine; each produces a unique vibratory “signature” that can be quantified and qualified by the company’s system. The small size, portability and rapidity of measurement of the Jan Medical system are designed to enable diagnosis of stroke and other cerebrovascular abnormalities in just minutes.
Most ischemic strokes are treatable neurological emergencies. However, every second counts. Unfortunately, today's standard of brain imaging is largely ineffective at detecting ischemic stroke in the brief therapeutic window available to treating physicians. While advanced imaging options exist that improve sensitivity, they remain deficient, take even more time than computed tomography (CT) and are not widely available.

Patients recovering from a ruptured cerebral aneurysm are susceptible to life threatening cerebral vasospasm for up to 21 days post stroke. The current standard of vigilance involves only daily snapshot assessments with ultrasound and fairly imprecise clinical assessments. Jan Medical's portable brain sensing system is designed to enable continuous monitoring of stroke patients in order to detect cerebral vascular vasospasm as it occurs and progresses.

CAUTION: The Jan Medical is an investigational device, limited by federal (US) law to investigational use.

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