Transcranial Doppler ultrasound assessment of intracranial hemodynamics in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
BACKGROUND
Diabetics have a 3-fold risk for cardiovascular diseases compared with non-diabetics. This study was designed to evaluate cerebral hemodynamic changes related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) with transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD). TCD is a highly sensitive and specific method of quick bedside assessment of cerebrovascular circulation hemodynamics.


METHODS
In a prospective study, we compared a group of 100 patients with the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (aged 48 to 67 years) and an age- and sex-matched control group of 100 healthy subjects without diabetes mellitus. We measured flow velocities (Vm) and the Gosling pulsatility index (PI) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA).


RESULTS
The rate of TCD abnormalities was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in healthy control subjects (55% vs. 11%, P < 0.05). The PI was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.001). Atherosclerotic changes were found in 34.0% and 71.4% of patients suffering from diabetes for <5 and > or =5 years, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that TCD is a useful marker for the detection of diabetic cerebrovascular changes. The duration and type of diabetes were found to have an impact on the development of pathologic cerebrovascular changes.
Dikanovic
Marinko
M
General Hospital Slavonski Brod, Croatia.
Hozo
Izet
I
Kokic
Slaven
S
Titlic
Marina
M
Jandric
Marica
M
Balen
Ivan
I
Kadojic
Dragutin
D
D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial