A small device, described as an ECG (electrocardiogram) for the eye, mounted easily to a bedside stand, can help distinguish stroke symptoms from vertigo symptoms, according to a small proof-of-concept study by GN Otometrics, which is developing the device.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine tested the device, which consists of goggles feeding video into computer software to be scanned for abnormal corrective eye movements, on 12 participants, finding that it was able to pick out the six strokes correctly, while also correctly identifying the less serious aberrations. The strokes were later confirmed by MRI.
"Using this device can directly predict who has had a stroke and who has not. We're spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on expensive stroke work-ups that are unnecessary, and probably missing the chance to save tens of thousands of lives because we aren't properly diagnosing their dizziness or vertigo as stroke symptoms," David Newman-Toker, M.D., and lead author of the study said in a statement.
Newman-Toker added that the device could also be adapted for future smartphone compatibility. The technology is not approved for use in the U.S. yet.
by RTTNews Staff Writer
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