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News

Shedding light on aneurysms

UH, Methodist researchers hope to detect possibly deadly ruptures before they happen

Cougar News Service

A UH professor and his team of research students are combining their efforts with doctors and scientists at the Methodist Neurological Institute to help detect potentially dangerous brain aneurysms in patients.

The study's purpose is to allow physicians to identify aneurysms -- fluid-filled spots on blood vessel walls inside the brain -- and prevent strokes.

Ralph Metcalfe, professor of mechanical engineering, oversees his graduate assistants in the project, which also involves doctors and researchers from The Methodist Hospital.

The collaborative effort's goal is developing cutting-edge 3-D computer models that show the blood flow inside patients' brains. Doctors could then see trouble spots and determine if aneurysms are at risk of rupturing. From there, doctors could decide on the best treatment strategies.

If they rupture, aneurysms can be deadly, but the team is working on ways to make it easier and safer for people with this common condition. "According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, cerebral aneurysms affect up to 6 percent of the U.S. population," Metcalfe said in a release. "Most aneurysms don't rupture, but if they do, the results are fatal in about 50 percent of the cases. The question is how to predict who is most at risk."

Metcalfe said his team's research has shown that aneurysms form when specific conditions are met in the brain.

"One of the key points is that aneurysms don't seem to form randomly," Metcalfe said. "They do seem to form at locations that are associated with the fluctuations in the flow of blood, leading to the question of what it is about the flow of blood that tends to correlate with the formation of aneurysms."

Researchers inject dye in patients' brains and use X-rays to follow the dye's progress through the brain, allowing them to monitor blood flow. They can then produce a 3-D model of the brain's inner workings, a valuable tool for doctors trying to save lives.

The project has two possible uses: to create a research tool that can simulate potentially harmful brain aneurysms and to use research findings to identify problems in patients.

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