Evaluation of a Carbon Nanotube Enabled Solid-State Head CT

Evaluation of a Carbon Nanotube Enabled Solid-State Head CT

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate stationary head CT (s-HCT) as a diagnostic tool in patients with known head trauma.

Participants: Participants will be 50 people who have had either a head trauma or a brain bleed and have undergone a head CT in the past 24 hours or who will undergo a CT scan of the head.

Procedures (methods): This investigation will be a single arm, prospective clinical trial. Participants will have one single visit, which will include the s-HCT scan. No follow-up is required. All images will be de-identified before inclusion within a reader study. The investigators will perform a reader study with physician readers comparing the acquired imaging s-HCT images and conventional head CT.

This investigation will be a single arm, prospective clinical trial evaluating stationary head CT (s-HCT) as a diagnostic tool in patients with known head trauma. The investigators hypothesize that a stationary head CT (s-HCT) system based on the carbon nanotube linear array x-ray source can provide diagnostic quality head CT images. Patients included in the study will be 50 people who have had either a head trauma or a brain bleed and have undergone a head CT in the past 24 hours or who will undergo a CT scan of the head.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age or older
• Medically stable patient with head trauma or known intracranial hemorrhage (subdural or intraparenchymal) or skull fractures
• Patient has undergone conventional head CT imaging at UNC hospitals within the past 24 hours or will undergo a CT scan of the head
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide consent
• Any woman who is pregnant or has reason to believe she is pregnant (the possibility of pregnancy has to be excluded by negative urine β-HCG results, obtained within 24 hours prior to the research scan, or on the basis of patient history, e.g., tubal ligation, hysterectomy or a minimum of 1 year without menses)
• Breastfeeding