New technology has major implications for head injury patients

MIAMI – The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has received a patent for a device that can diagnose concussion immediately after an injury occurs.

By tracking eye movements through 11 specific tests, these ‘concussion goggles’, which were developed by an outside company, can also help predict when someone can return to activity.

“What happened was working with my colleague Carey Balaban the university of Pittsburgh we developed the algorithms that can be used to look at the eye motion in the virtual reality goggles and make an interpretation about the various tests that are done and show us whether they have concussion or do not have concussion, said Dr. Michael Hoffer, an ear, nose and throat specialist with UHealth.

While there are similar devices on the market, these newer goggles have a greater degree of accuracy and Dr. Hoffer envisions them being used in public places and sporting events, similar to automatic defibrillators.

An estimated three point eight million people in the U.S. suffer head injury every year.

And according to a new study, advances in chemotherapy are making surgery less common.

Researchers tracked individuals diagnosed with breast cancer who were cancer-free after systemic therapy and did not undergo breast-removal surgery.

Among these subjects, researchers found they remained cancer-free two years after systemic therapy, which often involves chemotherapy.

The authors noted that further study is needed before these findings could affect clinical practice.

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