Technologies

Worldwide, malaria affects 2 million individuals annually and results in 584,000 deaths (WHO World Malaria report 2014). Cerebral malaria is the most severe neurological manifestation of malaria with case fatality rates ranging from 15-40%. Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have developed a method for using Transcranial Doppler (TCD) to identify pathogenic mechanisms leading to neuronal injury in children with cerebral malaria. TCD is a non-invasive ultrasound technique used for real-time evaluation of the cerebral blood flow in the basal cerebral vessels. Researchers are able to use this technology to detect distinct waveform morphologies related to different pathogenic mechanisms within children with malaria.