Comparison of agitated saline mixed with blood to agitated saline alone in detecting right-to-left shunt during contrast- transcranial Doppler sonography examination.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a technique for contrast agent preparation as mixing the patients' blood with agitated saline and to compare it with agitated saline alone in diagnosis of cardiac right-to-left shunt in regard to their sensitivity, time window, and distribution of artificially induced microembolic signals.


METHODS
Fifty-two patients with stroke who had Transesophageal echocardiography proven right-to-left shunt underwent contrast-transcranial Doppler sonography with injection of agitated (i) 9 ml saline with 1 ml air with Valsalva maneuver, (ii) 9 ml saline with 1 ml air without Valsalva maneuver, (iii) 8 ml saline, 1 ml of the patient's fresh blood and 1 ml air with Valsalva maneuver, and (iv) 8 ml saline, 1 ml of the patient's fresh blood and 1 ml air without Valsalva maneuver.


RESULTS
The sensitivity of the bilateral middle cerebral artery monitoring in diagnosis of right-to-left shunt was 94.2%, 71.2%, 96.2% and 76.9% for agitated saline with Valsalva maneuver, agitated saline without Valsalva maneuver, agitated saline and blood with Valsalva maneuver, and agitated saline and blood without Valsalva maneuver methods, respectively. Severe right-to-left shunt was detected in 100% of patients when agitated saline and blood with Valsalva maneuver was used. Application of Valsalva maneuver resulted in detection of more right-to-left shunt (P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Agitated saline mixed with blood with Valsalva maneuver is a sensitive method to detect right-to- left shunt, especially in the case of severe shunt. Mixing agitated saline with blood may increase the sensitivity of the test.
Neuroscience Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Abdolhamid
A
Shariat
Ehsan
E
Yaghoubi
Reza
R
Nemati
Kamran
K
Aghasadeghi
Afshin
A
Borhani Haghighi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003287:Contrast Media; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods*; D014636:Valsalva Maneuver
D003287:Contrast Media; D012965:Sodium Chloride