Transcranial Doppler for evaluation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
The value of transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in assessing patients with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) is uncertain. We sought to determine the contribution of TCD to their evaluation.


METHODS
Twenty-three patients with suspected IIH underwent TCD. Mean blood flow (BFV), peak systolic (PSV) and end-diastolic (EDV) velocities, and pulsatility (PI) and resistance (RI) indexes were obtained in the middle cerebral (MCA) and vertebral (VA) arteries and compared (Student's t-test) between patients with confirmed IIH and controls. IIH patients and controls were comparable in terms of age, gender and weight.


RESULTS
The mean +/- SD BFV(MCA), PSV(MCA), EDV(MCA) and PI(VA) in the 13 IIH patients were higher than in the ten controls (59 +/- 6.8, 94 +/- 28.5, 43 +/- 12.4, 0.86 +/- 0.16 and 50 +/- 8.6, 72 +/- 25.8, 32 +/- 11.5, 0.58 +/- 0.45 respectively, P < 0.05) but still within normal values. The mean +/- SD PI(MCA), RI(MCA) and RI(VA) values in the IIH patients and controls were similar.


CONCLUSIONS
TCD parameters had no useful unique features for monitoring IIH patients.
Gur
A Y
AY
Department of Neurology, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. dopplerlab@tasmc.health.gov.il
Kesler
A
A
Shopin
L
L
Bornstein
N M
NM
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology