Education
At a Glance
Cerebrovascular accidents (aka. strokes) are…
The leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide
Kills 1 Canadian every 7 minutes
Costed the American health care system $56.5 billion between 2018-2019
Most strokes and vascular events are caused by atherosclerosis
Atherosclerotic plaque (artery blockage buildup) in the carotid artery is the main cause of ischemic stroke – a type of stroke that makes up 87% of all strokes. A timely and precise diagnosis can help to prevent the ischemic event and decide patient management, such as follow-up, medical, or surgical treatment.
The limitations of 2D Ultrasound
Ultrasound is the most widely used diagnostic imaging modality due to its “non-ionizing radiation, portability, accessibility, and cost effectiveness (Liu et al., 2018)” However, unlike other imaging modalities such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it is heavily operator dependent, requiring trained expertise to leverage its benefits. Depending on the skill of the ultrasound technician (and therefore the angle from which the ultrasound probe is positioned), the quality of the images generated will vary, requiring confirmatory imaging in over 43% of cases. Furthermore, image interpretations of plaques are manual, subjective, and 2D dependent. The combination of these factors has led to 28% of patients being misclassified.
Help us change the status quo
At Sonaro we create tools that allow for a timely diagnosis of atherosclerosis, so no stroke is ever missed again.
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