3-D Printed Phantom Stenotic Artery Advances MRI Standardization
Orange County, CA - April 19th 2017 - For the past 10 years, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines have been used to study the plaque components of vessels in the brain. These machines have the potential to reveal underlying pathology of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD), the international leading cause of stroke, as well as provide information for clinical trials of new treatments and measuring patient risk. However, the medical world has seen little progress in this field due to lack of standardization in high-resolution MRI protocols.
Bioengineers at the University of Massachusetts and neurologists at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have teamed up to create a realistic 3D printed phantom of a stenotic intracranial artery. The artery has been used in multiple U.S. and Chinese associations according to an article published by the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.
Tanya N. Turan, M.D., director of the MUSC Stroke Division and senior author of the Journal article is optimistic about this international distribution. "There is a lot of exciting research that is possible with high-resolution MRI techniques, but it has much less opportunity to affect patient care if it can't be systematically distributed to multiple sites and multiple populations.” China was the first chosen distribution site due to elevated levels of intracranial stenosis in patients.
Turan worked with bioengineers at the University of Massachusetts to produce the 3D printed ICAD phantom, which mimics both the stenotic vessel and its plaque components. While this is a step in the right direction for standardization, several more years may be needed to complete the process. The next obstacle the researchers face is establishing parameters for MRI machines made by a variety of manufacturers. Only 2 manufacturers have been standardized, with the 3rd on the way. With around 20 different manufacturers, this project has a long way to go.
Weihai Xu, M.D., of Peking Union Medical College, the lead Chinese institution, is collaborating with Turan to collect additional data to evaluate concordance among the participating institutions. Once all of these variables have been worked out, the international team plans to conduct an observational trial to predict risk in participating centers, which will be a quicker process than if the U.S. conducted these trials alone.
"We're only going to be able to advance the field more quickly if we work together," said Turan. "The phantom gives us the tool to be able to work together."
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3-D Printed Phantom Stenotic Artery Advances MRI Standardization Orange County, CA – April 19th 2017 – For the past 10 years, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines have been used to study the plaque components of vessels in the brain. These machines have the potential to reveal underlying pathology of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD), the international […]