When you get into a serious car accident, there are any number of things which may happen to your body. One of the things which is less common but very frightening is that the car collision can cause brain damage. Even worse, it can cause damage to the nerves in the brain which is so subtle that the victim may not realize at first that there is a problem.
Traditional imaging tests used on people who have been involved in car accidents are not sufficient to notice this type of brain damage. However it may be possible to use these same tests but to look at them in a different way in order to identify the presence of this type of injury.
Research has shown that it is possible to use the traditional MRI scan to assess this type of brain injury. For the patient, the experience is the same as undergoing any other MRI. However, the doctor uses the additional assistance of a specific type of mathetmatical analysis called diffusion tensor tractography. This analysis allows the doctor to determine whether brain injury of this type has occurred.
This could be an important medical finding for society. It doesn't require the use of any expensive new technology and yet solves a problem in an area that has been medically lacking.
Learn more here.
Question of the Day: What other injuries do you suppose could be treated simply by looking at imaging technology in a new way?
