Evaluation of cerebrovascular Doppler examination and oculopneumoplethysmography in a clinical perspective.

The cerebrovascular Doppler examination (CDE) and oculopneumoplethysmography (OPG-Gee) were compared in a single population group with no statistically significant difference found between the 2 studies. There appeared to be an advantage to combinant testing, for when the results of the 2 studies were concordant there was an accuracy of 94% and a false negative rate of 8%. Clinical correlation was available in 96% of the patients, providing adequate evidence to support the adjuvant role of non-invasive screening in the evaluation of symptomatic individuals. The percentage of false negative studies and the incidence of ulcerative disease make a diagnostic role impractical at present. For the asymptomatic individual, the diagnostic role of non-invasive screening seems justified. The false negative studies in the present series were confined to those vessels with 50-70% stenoses, which are difficult to assess angiographically and may be better characterized by hemodynamic evaluations.