STROKE DETECTION

TEAMING UP TO TACKLE STROKE DETECTION

What began as an emergency room visit for mild, unsettling symptoms turned into a philanthropist-physician partnership to transform stroke detection. Mary Catherine Jones was age 31 and 10 weeks pregnant when she suddenly had trouble speaking and dropped a phone from her right hand. She sought emergency care, but her symptoms had subsided and her initial brain scan was normal. Unfortunately, Jones experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA) — which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is temporarily blocked and causes stroke symptoms — that went undetected. Instead, she was cleared to attend a Houston Texans game and advised to follow up with a neurologist. This is how Jones met Houston Methodist neurologist, Dr. John J. Volpi. “I was lucky after that close call,” recalls Jones, who had a 10% risk of suffering another stroke within 90 days. Inspired by her patient experience and Dr. Volpi’s work, Jones and her family directed a gift from the Scurlock Foundation to support stroke detection research.

There are many effective stroke treatments available. The challenge is detecting the stroke in time to deliver treatment and reverse the damage. Dr. Volpi, The Elkins Family Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Neurology and director of the Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center at Houston Methodist, and his collaborator, Dr. Stephen T. Wong, are using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a virtual stroke expert that could help ER doctors diagnose stroke quickly and accurately. “Our collaboration is a perfect match,” says Dr. Wong, the John S. Dunn Sr. Presidential Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Engineering, full member of the Research Institute, professor of Computer Science and Bioengineering in Oncology, director of the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Bioinformatics Research and Imaging for Neurosciences, and associate director of Cancer Center Shared Resources at Houston Methodist. “Dr. Volpi is the stroke expert, but he has this diagnostic problem. I am an engineer, and engineers live to solve problems! Houston Methodist is an ideal place for this study — plenty of resources and expertise.” Typically, a stroke exam includes an image of the brain (such as a CT scan) and a physical exam (measuring face movement, speech and strength). AI can learn — using examples of healthy subjects and of patients suffering a stroke — which symptoms are concerning. Computers can do something more: They turn images into robust, objective data in real time. The virtual stroke expert would employ mathematics to improve the grainy CT scans available in the ER and detect the precise location of the stroke, which is often indistinguishable to the human eye. The virtual stroke expert can also detect subtle differences in facial expression, speech and balance. By training the AI with existing data, the result is a stroke expert that could be placed anywhere — even on the patient’s smartphone through an app that can help monitor symptoms and seek care promptly. This last application may benefit existing stroke patients, such as philanthropist Ray Gilliam, another of Dr. Volpi’s patients who manages his stroke risk. “Seeing Dr. Volpi is like visiting a friend,” says Gilliam. “You don’t feel like you are going to the doctor.” Gilliam and his wife Randa have shown support with a generous gift to Dr. Volpi’s research. Dr. Volpi and Dr. Wong agree that patients’ perspectives and philanthropy have advanced their research. “We’re doing something brand new, but we do not have enough evidence yet to secure a government grant,” says Dr. Volpi. “That evidence takes time to develop. Mary Catherine and Ray have added great ideas. It’s about more than the funding; it’s a partnership.” “Thank you for your faith in us,” adds Dr. Wong. “You won’t be disappointed.”

RAY AND RANDA GILLIAM, DR. JOHN J. VOLPI AND MARY CATHERINE BLANTON JONES