A handheld near infrared scanner for the detection of acute traumatic intracranial hemorrhage

The Archeoptix NIRD device is a handheld near infrared scanner for intracranial hemorrhage of at least 3 mL in volume located up to 3.5 cm from the scalp. It generates an image that approximates hemorrhage location on a schematic head. We report a prospectively collected cohort of scans from patients with traumatic brain injury and CT-confirmed intracranial hemorrhage, alongside healthy control subjects, to evaluate the utility and accuracy of this technology. Patients with hemorrhage were recruited from the neurosurgical service within 24 h of trauma for a single scan, and also controls with no history of head trauma or neurological symptoms. Blinded reviewers judged each scan for presence or absence of hemorrhage and whether hemorrhage position matched CT. Thirty-seven patients with hemorrhage and 40 controls were scanned. Reviewers identified hemorrhage in 37/37 patients and no hemorrhage in 40/40 controls, with correct localization in 35/37 scans. Repeat passes were sometimes required for user-induced errors from external light exposure or loss of detector contact, occurring more often in hemorrhage cases and modestly increasing time to complete subsequent paths. The Archeoptix NIRD device shows promise as a point-of-care or remote diagnostic tool, and further work can fully establish sensitivity, specificity, and user experience.