Researchers test smart wire to analyze stroke-causing clots
A smart wire called Clotild, developed by Sensome, has been tested in humans to identify and map the composition of stroke clots during removal.
Key Takeaways
AIResearchers have conducted the first human trial of a thin smart wire equipped with electrical sensors, called Clotild, designed to identify the properties of stroke-causing clots and map their composition in real time during removal.
The wire, developed by Sensome, is inserted into blood vessels via a catheter, according to Medical Xpress. Its tiny sensors measure the electrical properties of surrounding tissues as it passes through the clot.
Differences in electrical properties between red blood cells, platelets, and the artery wall allow the device to distinguish between them during the procedure, providing doctors with crucial information about the clot’s nature, location, and size—data typically available only after surgical removal and laboratory analysis.
The trial involved 41 patients who suffered strokes caused by large vessel blockages, at hospitals in Australia and France, aiming to assess the device’s safety and accuracy.
Results showed no cases of vessel perforation or dissection, and the device achieved an accuracy of 0.97 in identifying red blood cell-rich clots and 0.94 for platelet-rich clots, on a scale where 1.0 is perfect accuracy.
The device was also able to identify the artery wall and the distal end of the clot, potentially helping doctors estimate the clot’s length without injecting special contrast agents.
Researchers created a map of the clot’s composition based on the device’s readings, which matched microscopic analysis after removal.
The technology is significant because clot composition affects removal methods; red blood cell-rich clots differ from platelet-rich ones, yet doctors usually do not know the clot’s nature before treatment.
The trial was led by Dr. Andrew Cheung from Australia and Emeric Rochoud from France, with Professor Karen Doyle from the University of Galway and the Rennes Medical Device Center. The findings were published in the journal NeuroInterventional Surgery.
Doyle noted that real-time knowledge of clot composition could help doctors tailor treatments in the future, while Cheung confirmed the trial demonstrated the technology can be safely integrated into stroke procedures.