ColorViz, a New and Rapid Tool for Assessing Collateral Circulation during Stroke

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Collateral leptomeningeal pathways are critical for acute ischemic stroke prognosis.
• Conventional angiography is invasive, and current multiphase CTA classifications are complex and time-consuming.
• There is a need for efficient and reliable collateral circulation assessment techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a new semi-automatic post-processing software, ColorViz FastStroke.
• To compare ColorViz FastStroke with established six-point multiphase CTA classifications for collateral circulation assessment.
• To determine if ColorViz offers a simpler and faster evaluation method.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 86 patients with anterior ischemic stroke symptoms who underwent multiphasic CTA.
• Two radiologists independently assessed collateral leptomeningeal vessels using multiphase CTA (six-point scale) and ColorViz (three-point scale).
• Comparison of results obtained from both assessment methods.

Main Results:

• A good correlation was found between the ColorViz and multiphase CTA assessments.
• ColorViz FastStroke demonstrated faster diagnostic times compared to traditional methods.
• ColorViz provides a simpler and more immediate evaluation of collateral circulation, beneficial for less experienced radiologists.

Conclusions:

• ColorViz FastStroke is an effective tool for evaluating collateral circulation in acute ischemic stroke.
• The software simplifies and speeds up the assessment process.
• ColorViz offers a valuable alternative for radiologists, particularly those with less experience.