NBC29A Scan to Save a Life

A Scan to Save a Life

Reported by David Douglas
March 15, 2007   

It's a simple scan lasting only a matter of minutes. But what doctors learn in that time could help assess your risk of stroke and help save your life.

The stroke scan uses computed tomography, commonly known as ACT Scan. It's a very quick assessment of your arteries to keep you one step ahead of a neurological nightmare.

You might find yourself on the table of a CT Scan machine after a stroke. But now, being there before a stroke strikes could be a stroke of genius.

"And what we've been looking for in imaging, is a way to predict which patients who have atherosclerois in their carotid arteries might be at more risk of developing a stroke," said Dr. Christopher Kramer with the UVA Medical Center. 

Having fatty buildup in your arteries is similar to how silt builds up along the sides of a stream. Just having dirt there isn't necessarily the problem, but the kind of dirt that's there, can be.

"The understanding of what the fatty buildup is made up of, to decide whether that's someone who is likely to develop systems over the next year, two years, five years,"  

The harder and thicker the build-up inside the artery, the lower the stroke risk. But what might doctors do with this newfound knowledge if the risk is high?

"If someone is very likely to have a stroke in the impending 1, 5 years, they'd be more likely to be referred for surgery," explained Kramer. 

This procedure is still being studied. But so far, the multi-detector CT scanner being used is seen as a promising method to assess plaque because of its high resolution.