Machine learning improves dementia, stroke diagnosis Internet of Business

Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh have developed software capable of detecting dementia and stroke precursors using CT scans. The development, according to the study's lead author and clinical lecturer at Imperial College London, Dr Paul Bentley, "could lead to better treatments and care for patients in everyday practice". The research team's machine learning software has been trained using 1,082 CT scans of stroke patients from 70 hospitals across the UK between 2000 and 2014. The software is able to identify and measure a marker of Small Vessel Disease (SVD), a common precursor to strokes and dementia, which reduces blood flow to the brain's deep white matter connections. Doctors currently rely on CT and/or MRI scans to detect SVD.