Robert Hamilton: A New ”Game-Changing” Approach for Identifying PFOs in Stroke
Robert Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer of NeuraSignal, shared on LinkedIn:
”TTE has long been the standard for identifying PFOs in stroke patients.
But in Dr. Gregory Walker’s and Dr. Razi Khan‘s experience, it wasn’t finding enough of them.
So they decided to try a new approach… one they’d later describe as ‘game-changing.’
Dr. Walker is a stroke neurologist and Dr. Khan an interventional cardiologist.
Both practice at Royal Columbian Hospital (one of Canada’s largest hospitals), where they’ve together set up the regional PFO and stroke clinic.
The new approach took shape in 2023, when they introduced robotic TCD into the clinic’s workflow. Before that, they were doing 8-10 PFO closures a year.
But after it, the numbers started climbing fast:
- 20 closures in 2023
- 30 in 2024
- 36 in 2025
- 42 projected for 2026
That’s a 470% increase since 2022.
And on top of that, a 270% increase in PFO detection.
I think they chose exactly the right words when they described this move beyond TTE-only screening as ‘career-changing, life-changing, game-changing.’
Also, super proud that the robotic TCD behind all of this is NeuraSignal‘s NG2 Intelligent Ultrasound.
A big thank you to Dr. Greg Walker and Dr. Razi Khan for the work they’re doing to advance PFO detection and stroke care!”

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