Time Medical International Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company announces New Low-Field TOF MRI Platform for Nationwide Aneurysm Screening, Developed in Collaboration with Dr. Iype Cherian
Time Medical International Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company today announced a major technological milestone with the introduction of VEGA, a heavily optimized permanent-magnet MRI system engineered specifically for rapid, non-contrast TOF angiographic screening of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. The system has been engineered in close partnership with Dr. Iype Cherian, a leading neurosurgeon who has long advocated for population-level screening as India’s most practical strategy to prevent aneurysm-related deaths.
Unruptured intracranial aneurysms are far more common than most people realize. Global studies consistently show that about 3.2% of adults carry an aneurysm, and in the Indian population this translates to nearly 30 million people—a staggering number for a condition that can be detected non-invasively and treated safely before causing harm. Each year, an estimated 85,000 to 115,000 Indians suffer a subarachnoid haemorrhage, most often between the ages of 40 and 60, when individuals contribute most actively to their families and to the economy. When an aneurysm ruptures, the consequences are devastating: mortality reaches 26–45%, and including pre-hospital events, nearly half of all patients never make it to treatment. Those who survive frequently face long-term neurological disability.
India represents one of the world’s largest untapped opportunities for neurovascular screening. Based on reliable demographic sources, the population above 40 years of age— the stage at which aneurysm risk begins to rise sharply—is estimated at well over 700 million people, forming one of the largest preventive-screening cohorts anywhere in the world. Even at a conservative aneurysm prevalence of 3%, this translates into a visible screening population of more than 21 million individuals. If we consider a planning ratio of 2 MRI scanners per million population, India would have the capacity to screen far more individuals proactively.
Expanding access to affordable, low-field TOF MRI systems can help society shift from late detection to early intervention, improving outcomes for families and strengthening community brain health. In contrast, elective treatment of an unruptured aneurysm is remarkably safe, with modern clipping or coiling procedures carrying 0.5–2.5% mortality and offering patients an excellent chance of returning to full, productive lives. Countries like Japan, the United States, Korea, and several European nations have already shown that early identification changes outcomes dramatically. Japan’s national “Brain Dock” program, for example, routinely detects aneurysms in healthy adults at rates around 4.3%, reducing the number of catastrophic ruptures and long-term disability. Yet in India, early detection remains rare. Conventional tools such as CT angiography involve radiation and contrast, making them unsuitable for large-scale screening. High-field MRI systems, although excellent diagnostically, are expensive to operate, require helium, and are difficult to deploy outside major urban centres. As a result, most aneurysms in India are discovered only after they rupture.
This is where the new Time Medical India’s system represents a transformative shift. By using a permanent-magnet low-field design, the scanner avoids helium entirely, consumes far less power, and requires minimal maintenance. Its optimized TOF sequence produces high-quality vascular imaging within six minutes, without radiation or contrast. This design makes it feasible to place the scanner in district hospitals, semi-urban clinics, and mobile diagnosticunits—bringing aneurysm detection within reach of millions who currently have no access to preventive imaging.
Artificial intelligence plays a central role in scaling this vision. Modern deep- learning models can detect aneurysms on TOF scans with more than 95% sensitivity, allowing radiologists to supervise large volumes of studies through a hub-and-spoke teleradiology network. This ensures that screening can expand far beyond the limits of specialist manpower. This scanner has been designed for scale, sustainability, and accessibility, Time Medical said in a statement. It enables districts and smaller institutions to perform high-value neurovascular screening at a cost structure that was previously impossible.
Dr. Iype Cherian, Neurosurgeon at Parul University, explained:
“Aneurysm rupture is one of the most catastrophic neurological events, yet it is entirely preventable when detected in time. Low-field MRI allows India to move from reacting to emergencies to preventing them altogether.”
Ms. Svetlana, Director, Time Medical International Ventures (I) P Ltd:
“The introduction of VEGA—a fully optimized, ready-to-deploy low-field TOF MRI platform—marks a significant step forward in making preventive neurovascular screening accessible at scale. VEGA has been purpose-built to deliver rapid, contrast-free TOF vascular imaging, supported by a permanent-magnet design that eliminates helium dependence and significantly lowers operational costs. This combination of efficiency, affordability, and reliability makes VEGA ideally suited for deployment across district hospitals and semi-urban clinics. With VEGA, we are creating a pathway for earlier detection and proactive brain health, ensuring that communities everywhere can benefit from advanced neuro-imaging without the traditional barriers of cost and infrastructure.”