Artificial Intelligence improves stroke and dementia diagnosis in most common brain scan

New software, created by scientists at Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh, has been able to identify and measure the severity of small vessel disease, one of the commonest causes of stroke and dementia. The study, published in Radiology, took place at Charing Cross Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Researchers say that this technology can help clinicians to administer the best treatment to patients more quickly in emergency settings -- and predict a person's likelihood of developing dementia. The development may also pave the way for more personalised medicine. "This is the first time that machine learning methods have been able to accurately measure a marker of small vessel disease in patients presenting with stroke or memory impairment who undergo CT scanning. Our technique is consistent and achieves high accuracy relative to an MRI scan -- the current gold standard technique for diagnosis. This could lead to better treatments and care for patients in everyday practice."