title: Intracranial microembolic signals in patients with artificial heart valves: drowning in numbers.
abstract: Five years after the first description of Doppler microembolic signals, both their clinical significance and underlying material remain a matter of debate. It appears certain that MES depend on valve type and position, while their relation to other clinical parameters, including neurological complications, is still unclear. A number of clinical and experimental studies are reviewed, most of which argue towards gaseous embolic material.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Martin-Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany. dimitrios.georgiadis@medizin.uni-halle.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Georgiadis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zierz
mesh_terms: D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000209:etiology; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*