NeuraSignal spotlights robotic TCD use in Royal Columbian Hospital PFO workflow

NeuraSignal is highlighting how Royal Columbian Hospital in British Columbia is using its NG2 Intelligent Ultrasound system to screen stroke patients for patent foramen ovale, or PFO. The workflow is aimed at catching right-to-left shunts earlier and improving selection for confirmatory testing and closure in patients at risk for repeat stroke.

Why it matters: - Patent foramen ovale can let blood clots reach the brain and trigger stroke. - Better screening can help clinicians find clinically significant PFOs sooner and reduce recurrent stroke risk in properly selected patients under 60. - A more scalable screening workflow could make PFO detection easier to build into routine stroke care.

What happened: - NeuraSignal is showcasing Royal Columbian Hospital’s use of the NG2 Intelligent Ultrasound system in a stroke workflow focused on PFO detection. - Royal Columbian Hospital, part of Fraser Health in British Columbia, is among the first programs in Canada to deploy robotic-assisted transcranial Doppler in stroke care. - The hospital uses the system as a front-end screening step for right-to-left shunt detection in patients with cryptogenic stroke and transient ischemic attack. - The technology was used in the care of a 37-year-old Maple Ridge resident treated at Royal Columbian Hospital after a stroke. - On April 29, Dr. Razi Khan, Dr. Greg Walker and the cardiac team repaired the opening with a minimally invasive closure device while the patient was awake. - Robotic-assisted TCD was used to measure cerebral blood flow in real time during the procedure.

The details: - The NG2 system automatically positions and maintains ultrasound probes. - The automation reduces operator dependency compared with traditional manual transcranial Doppler. - The system is designed to make cerebral blood flow assessment more scalable across hospital settings. - The workflow is intended to help clinicians identify PFOs that conventional diagnostic approaches may miss. - The hospital can then better target patients for confirmatory testing and closure planning. - PFO closure volume at Royal Columbian Hospital rose from 8 to 10 procedures in 2022 to 36 in 2025. - NeuraSignal describes the NG2 platform as automating cerebral blood flow assessment to make stroke diagnosis, monitoring and PFO detection faster, more accessible and more reliable. - Robert Hamilton, CEO of NeuraSignal, said robotic TCD gives stroke programs a more practical way to identify right-to-left shunts earlier in the diagnostic pathway. - Dr. Walker said PFO-related strokes are often missed in young, active patients and that early closure can provide decades of protection against a second stroke.

Between the lines: - The Royal Columbian Hospital workflow points to a broader push to move PFO screening earlier and make it noninvasive, repeatable and easier to integrate into clinical practice. - The rise in closure volume suggests stroke teams may be finding more patients who qualify for follow-up testing and treatment when screening is built into the front end of care. - The messaging also frames robotic TCD as a tool for reducing dependence on specialized operators, which could matter for hospitals trying to scale stroke services.

What's next: - NeuraSignal is positioning the Royal Columbian Hospital case as evidence that robotic-assisted screening can support broader adoption of PFO workflows. - Stroke programs watching the model will be looking at whether similar automation can improve access to screening and secondary prevention in other hospital settings.

The bottom line: - Royal Columbian Hospital’s use of robotic TCD shows how automated screening may help identify more PFO-related stroke risk earlier and support faster closure decisions.