title: Transcranial ultrasound from diagnosis to early stroke treatment. 1. Feasibility of prehospital cerebrovascular assessment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To test whether portable duplex ultrasound devices can be used in a prehospital '911' emergency situation to assess intracranial arteries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-contrast-enhanced transcranial duplex ultrasound studies were performed either immediately at the site of the emergency (i.e. private home) or after transfer into the emergency helicopter/ambulance vehicle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 25 patients were enrolled. In 5/25 cases, intracranial vessels could not be visualized due to insufficient quality of the temporal bone window. In 20/25 cases, bilateral visualization and Doppler flow measurements of the middle cerebral artery could be assessed in a mean time less than 2 min.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency assessment of intracranial arteries using portable duplex ultrasound devices is feasible shortly after arrival at the patient's site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Neuroscience, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92103-8756, USA. thoelscher@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holscher
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schlachetzki
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jakob
authors.forename: Karl Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Ittner
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haslberger
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bogdahn
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boy
mesh_terms: D017732:Air Ambulances; D000552:Ambulances; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D009462:Neurology; D010348:Patient Care Team; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis; D020521:Stroke / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013997:Time Factors; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial