Automated Segmentation for Hyperdense Middle Cerebral Artery Sign of Acute Ischemic Stroke on Non-Contrast CT Images

The hyperdense middle cerebral artery (MCA) dot sign has been reported as an important factor in the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. Interpreting the initial CT brain scan in these patients requires high level of expertise, and has high inter-observer variability. An automated computerized interpretation of the urgent CT brain image, with an emphasis to pick up early signs of ischemic stroke will facilitate early patient diagnosis, triage, and shorten the door-to-revascularization time for these group of patients. In this paper, we present an automated detection method of segmenting the MCA dot sign on non-contrast CT brain image scans based on powerful deep learning technique.