The applied artificial intelligence company Viz.ai Inc. announced on Monday that it scored FDA clearance for its Viz CTP software, which leverages image processing capabilities to automatically analyze CT perfusion images.

Perfusion imaging is used to identify patients who stand to benefit from mechanical thombectomy, a procedure that can mitigate brain damage in the immediate aftermath of a stroke.

The newly updated American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines lengthened the treatment window for mechanical thrombectomy from six hours to 24 hours. During the procedure, a physician uses a device within a catheter (a thin tube threaded inside an artery) to grab and remove the clot.
Viz CTP’s advanced image analysis algorithm automatically generates parametric CT perfusion color maps that are based on the dynamic effect of the contrast agent through the brain. The platform also calculates CT perfusion parameters, including cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume, mean transit time, and time to maximum residue.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. It’s the second leading cause of death and third leading cause of disability globally, according to the World Health Organization.

In addition to Viz CTP, Viz.ai also offers automated large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke identification, stroke triage and LVO notification, patient selection, HIPAA-compliant communication, mobile medical image viewing and transport coordination.

"In stroke, good patient outcomes can come down to a matter of minutes," Dr. Chris Mansi, neurosurgeon, CEO and co-founder of Viz.ai, said in a statement. "We are proud to offer hospital systems a comprehensive solution that can facilitate end-to-end care coordination and create efficiencies in acute stroke pathways to help get the right patient to the right doctor at the right time."

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