Supporting Novice Prehospital Transcranial Ultrasound Scanning for Brain Haemorrhage

Traumatic brain injury is a significant problem due to difficulties in early diagnosis in the field. Computed tomography is the gold standard for detecting brain haemorrhage, but scanners are bulky and expensive. A cheap, portable scanner such as transcranial ultrasound (TCUS) could allow early triage and intervention. Transmitting images to remote experts for diagnosis means TCUS could be used by any minimally trained person in the field. We propose a virtual 3-dimensional model of the head which shows which areas of the brain have been imaged already, where the probe currently is, and where still needs to be covered in order to generate a complete scan. Using sensors to measure the position and rotation of the TCUS transducer, we can link this to the 3D model of the head and visually display which areas have been imaged. The images can be analysed and composited to form a personalised 3D scan with maximal coverage of the brain, which can be transmitted for diagnostic review, reducin g data loss compared with streaming ongoing images. Initial testing of the software has been performed in healthy volunteers and further testing is planned in patients with brain haemorrhage.