<p>A new method, tested on rats, may someday enable doctors to quickly scan the entire body for a blood clot.<br /><br /></p>.<p>To locate a blood clot, a physician may need to use three different methods: ultrasound to check the carotid arteries or legs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the heart and computed tomography to view the lungs.<br /><br />"It is a shot in the dark. Patients could end up being scanned multiple times by multiple techniques in order to locate a clot," said Peter Caravan from the Massachusetts General Hospital.<br /><br />"We sought a method that could detect blood clots anywhere in the body with a single whole-body scan," he added.<br /><br />A blood clot is a dangerous health situation with the potential to trigger heart attacks, strokes and other medical emergencies.<br /><br />To treat a blood clot, doctors need to find its exact location.<br /><br />"If a person suffers a stroke that stems from a blood clot, their risk for a second stroke skyrockets," Caravan noted.<br /><br />The initial blood clot can break apart and cause more strokes if it is not quickly found and treated.<br /><br />Depending on where the blood clot is located, the treatment varies -- some of them respond well to drugs, while others are better addressed with surgery.<br /><br />The team is set to describe their approach at the 250th national meeting and exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) this week.</p>
<p>A new method, tested on rats, may someday enable doctors to quickly scan the entire body for a blood clot.<br /><br /></p>.<p>To locate a blood clot, a physician may need to use three different methods: ultrasound to check the carotid arteries or legs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the heart and computed tomography to view the lungs.<br /><br />"It is a shot in the dark. Patients could end up being scanned multiple times by multiple techniques in order to locate a clot," said Peter Caravan from the Massachusetts General Hospital.<br /><br />"We sought a method that could detect blood clots anywhere in the body with a single whole-body scan," he added.<br /><br />A blood clot is a dangerous health situation with the potential to trigger heart attacks, strokes and other medical emergencies.<br /><br />To treat a blood clot, doctors need to find its exact location.<br /><br />"If a person suffers a stroke that stems from a blood clot, their risk for a second stroke skyrockets," Caravan noted.<br /><br />The initial blood clot can break apart and cause more strokes if it is not quickly found and treated.<br /><br />Depending on where the blood clot is located, the treatment varies -- some of them respond well to drugs, while others are better addressed with surgery.<br /><br />The team is set to describe their approach at the 250th national meeting and exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) this week.</p>