Watch Dr Craig Winter accept the research grant award and hear a bit about the project.
Project Summary:
Brain aneurysms, or intracranial aneurysms, affect around 3.3% of the population, and their rupture can lead to severe disability or death. High-risk aneurysms are treated with either open brain surgery (craniotomy) or minimally invasive endovascular techniques. Although choosing between these broad treatment options is relatively straightforward, determining the most appropriate endovascular approach is more complex. Endovascular procedures include coiling, coiling with stenting, and using flow-diverting stents, all of which require careful consideration of the aneurysm’s geometry, including its size, shape, sac dimensions, and the alignment of parent vessels.
While experienced interventional neuroradiologists can make these decisions quickly, newer specialists and those still in training may find the process more challenging. To assist in this decision-making, we are developing a software solution that simplifies the retrieval of past case data, allowing clinicians to reference similar cases and outcomes with ease. The software will analyse aneurysm geometry and extract treatment records from previous endovascular procedures conducted at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) in Brisbane. Serving as a “smart search” tool, it will enable efficient access to critical treatment data for RBWH clinicians, supporting both experienced and less-experienced interventional neuroradiologists.
Once fully developed and tested, we plan to expand the software’s capabilities by incorporating a more extensive database of patient records from hospitals across Australia. This expansion aims to provide clinicians nationwide with a comprehensive resource for improving treatment planning, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes in neuroradiology departments across the country.
Outcomes:
Dr Winter and his team have developed a geometry alignment and similarity scoring framework, which allows the system to compare aneurysm characteristics, and added imaging data from 20 aneurysm cases to the software database. They’ve also created a functional interface which allows clinicians to visualise aneurysm alignments, compare cases side-by-side, and review similarity rankings. Early testing shows that the tool is accurate and user-friendly – and while the current dataset is still relatively small, the initial results suggest the approach is both technically achievable and clinically relevant.
The outcomes of this project demonstrate the potential for AI and medical imaging technologies to support clinicians in complex treatment planning tasks. Dr Winter and his team have shown that it is possible to develop a system that can organise and retrieve relevant aneurysm cases. For clinicians, this type of tool could provide valuable decision support by allowing them to learn from previous cases and treatment outcomes.
With further development, larger datasets, and clinician testing, this software could eventually become a scalable platform that supports aneurysm treatment planning across multiple hospitals and healthcare systems.
Outcomes submitted May 2026.
The Brain Foundation is dedicated to funding the next generation of Australian research into brain disorders, diseases, and injuries, with the ultimate goal of advancing diagnoses, treatments, and patient outcomes.