Assessment of intra-cranial pressure after severe traumatic brain injury by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the potential of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in estimating post-traumatic intra-cranial pressure early after severe traumatic brain injury.


METHODS
The group of 24 patients was analysed for the observation of an early post-traumatic cerebral haemodynamic by middle cerebral artery blood velocity measuring.


METHODS
The standard method of measuring the mean blood middle cerebral artery velocity by transcranial Doppler ultrasonic device was performed.


RESULTS
The increased duration of intra-cranial hypertension correlated to the middle cerebral artery low blood velocity (p = 0.042; r = -0.498) (n = 17) and to elevated pulsatility indices (p = 0.007; r = 0.753) (n = 11) significantly. The increased duration of lowered cerebral perfusion pressure correlated to the middle cerebral artery low blood velocity significantly (p = 0.001; r = -0.619) (n = 24).


CONCLUSIONS
The significance of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography as a method to estimate an early post-traumatic intra-cranial pressure after severe brain injury was confirmed. This simple and non-invasive technique could be easily used in daily clinical practice and precede intra-cranial pressure monitoring in selected patients.
Splavski
Bruno
B
Division of Neurosurgery, Clinical Hospital, Osijek, Croatia. splavski.bruno@kbo.hr
Radanović
Branko
B
Muzević
Dario
D
Has
Borislav
B
Janculjak
Davor
D
Kristek
Jozo
J
Jukić
Dubravko
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial