Abstract
The majority of strokes are caused by the shedding of embolic debris from atheroma and thrombus located in the heart or the carotid arteries. Once lodged in the cerebral circulation, emboli obstruct blood-flow causing tissue to be starved of oxygen. This can lead to neurological injuries ranging from fatal stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack to subtle neurocognitive decline.
Our research combines statistical physics computer simulations of emboli moving through the cerebral vasculature with information from transcranial Doppler embolus detection to predict the likely effects of emboli on cerebral blood-flow in patients at risk of stroke. We are currently testing our models during cardiac surgery where large numbers of air bubbles and solid emboli can be observed. Preliminary modelling of bubbles moving through the cerebral microvasculature predicts prolonged occlusion of end arterioles during restarting of the heart. We are now checking these predictions against patient outcome in a larger BHF funded study where patients undergo ‘before and after’ neuropsychological testing and 3T MRI for comparison with simulation predictions. The aim of our project is to improve the neurological safety of cardiac surgery with a view to translating real-time ‘virtual patient’ monitoring of cerebral emboli to a clinical setting.
Short biography
Dr Emma Chung is a BHF Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellow based at the University of Leicester. She gained a PhD in the ‘Physics of complex magnetic systems’ from the University of Warwick in 2003. Her research interests include laboratory, computational and clinical research aimed at improving our understanding of stroke. Emma is Associate Editor of Ultrasound – the Journal of the British Medical Ultrasound Society. In 2007, Emma was the recipient of a Wellcome Trust ‘Value in People’ (VIP) award, EUROSON Young Investigator prize, and was one of eight short-listed nominees for a UK L’Oréal-Unesco Women in Science award.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/cardiovascular-sciences/people/dr-emma-chung