Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will investigate the usefulness of a new non-invasive method to measure the expansion of hematomas in the brain.

Jan Jansen, MBBS, PhD, director of the UAB Center for Injury Science, along with Executive Director Shannon Stephens, EMTP, will lead a two-year, $2.8 million clinical trial to evaluate the device called the Infrascanner. This project is funded by the Combat Casualty Care Research Program's Neurotrauma Program at the US Army Medical Research and Development Command.

The Infrascanner is a hand-held, non-invasive device that is FDA-cleared to detect traumatic intracranial hematomas. The purpose of the trial is to assess the device's ability to monitor the size of hematomas and track any changes in size, as expanding hematomas often require a change in treatment.

The device uses near infrared spectroscopy to detect intracranial hematomas, based on the differential light absorption associated with the injured versus the non-injured parts of brain. It compares the left and right sides of the brain in four different areas. Measurements can be completed within a a few minutes.