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Scientists say they have devised a helmet that can quickly determine whether a patient has had a stroke, the BBC reported. 

It could speed diagnosis and treatment of stroke to boost chances of recovery, the scientists say.

The wearable cap bounces microwaves off the brain to determine whether there has been a bleed or clot deep inside.

The Swedish scientists who made the device plan to give it to ambulance crews to test after successful results in early studies with 45 patients.

When a person has a stroke, doctors must work quickly to limit any brain damage.

If it takes more than four hours to get to hospital and start treatment, parts of their brain tissue may already be dying.

But to give the best treatment, doctors first need to find out if the stroke is caused by a leaky blood vessel or one blocked by a clot.

A computerised tomography (CT) scan will show this, but it can take some time to organise one for a patient, even if they have been admitted as an emergency to a hospital that has one of these scanners.

Any delay in this "golden hour" of treatment opportunity could hamper recovery.