University of Illinois
Medical Center
at Chicago

Clinical Research Division

Dr. Amin-Hanjani

Dr. Barua

Dr. Engelhard

Dr. Hahn

Dr. Hersonskey

Dr. Lemole

Dr. Roitberg

Dr. Roitberg-Tambur

Dr. Slavin

University of Illinois
Department of Neurosurgery
912 S. Wood Street
4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60612
phone: 312-996-4842

Research interests:

• Stroke - Prevention, Diagnosis & Treatment
• Neurovascular Imaging
• Conceptual Flow Modeling
• Surgical Simulators

Studies:

Carotid Occlusion Surgery Study (COSS):
A multicenter study sponsored by the NIH. The goal of this trial is to evaluate whether extracranial/intracranial (EC/IC) bypass surgery can reduce the risk of subsequent stroke. Patients with symptomatic carotid occlusion who meet PET criteria will be randomized to either EC/IC bypass surgery or medical management, and followed for up to 6 years. If patients meet COSS criteria, they may also qualify for a supplemental study which has a cognitive component also known as the Randomized Evaluation of Carotid Occlusion and Neuro-Cognition (RECON). For more detailed information regarding the COSS study click here: http://dmchost.public-health.uiowa.edu/coss/home.asp

Baseline Cerebral Blood Flow Study:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cerebral blood flow of HEALTHY subjects in order to determine a normal baseline flow rate for major cerebral arteries and veins. Quantitative measurements of blood flow in the vascular system will provide the baseline normatives for major cerebral vessels of different age groups and genders under normal physiological conditions. In the future, these measurements may assist physicians when evaluating patients for abnormal blood flow. Our goal is to image 300 healthy volunteers.
http://www.vassolinc.com/

Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study (Dr. Charbel and Dr. Gratton from UIUC):
The purpose of this project is to monitor cerebral oxygen levels and hemodynamics in real time before, during, and after surgical procedures and evaluate the cerebrovascular response during reduced blood flow using near infrared light. An infrared light inside an optical probe, developed by Dr. Enrico Gratton and his group at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, http://lfd.uiuc.edu, is used to obtain images of the brain's blood flow and measurements. This project will ultimately help physicians non-invasively monitor the course of medical conditions before, during, and after surgery.

VOS - Vascular Occlusion Simulator:
Balloon occlusion testing (BOT) is a procedure that is performed when patients have vascular disease and are candidates for carotid sacrifice. This study compares the computer simulation of vessel occlusion with the results obtained from BOT, using information gathered from diagnostic procedures. One of the hypotheses is to see if the VOS model is a noninvasive alternative to the invasive BOT.
A patient-specific computer model to predict outcomes of the balloon occlusion test.
Fady T. Charbel, Meide Zhao, Sepideh Amin-Hanjani, William Hoffman, Xinjian Du, and Marlyn E. Clark
PDF (680 K)

Evaluation of the Dynamic Electrophysiological Profile of the Rat Cerebral Cortex in Response to Focal Infarction (Dr. Charbel and Dr. Rousche)
This project looks at novel approaches to improve quality of life and decrease disability in stroke victims. The technique is in its infancy stage and work is being done on animals before advancing to clinical trials. For more details please contact Terry Chiganos, MD/Ph.D. candidate, Department of Bioengineering at tchiga1@uic.edu

PARIS - Personal Augmented Reality Immersive System (Dr. Charbel and Ray Evenhouse from UIC College of Applied Health Sciences)
The major goal of this NIH-funded project is to develop and deploy a networked collaborative surgical system for tele-immersive consultation, surgical preplanning, implant design, post-operative evaluation and education. This project represents a unique collaboration between UIC's Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) www.evl.uic.edu/index2.php, the Virtual Reality and Medicine Laboratory (VR Medlab) www.ahs.uic.edu/ahs/php/?sitename=vrml and our department.

Virtual Simulation (Dr. Charbel, Dr. Lemole and Prith Banerjee, Dean of UIC College of Engineering)
This sophisticated teaching modality simulates not only three dimensional anatomy but also allows for tactile simulation of surgical procedures. Currently, a module is being developed that enables the trainee to experience drilling the skull bone. Other modules for various procedures will follow. www.ivri.com