Transcranial Doppler in cerebrovascular disease.

Doppler analysis of flow in intracranial arteries is now possible using a 2 MHz probe allowing sufficient penetration of bone to obtain signals noninvasively. Thirty-two normal subjects, and 11 patients with cerebrovascular diseases including vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage, middle cerebral artery stenosis, and extracranial internal carotid artery stenosis were studied by transcranial Doppler. Increased peak velocity and spectral broadening of the reflected signal corresponded to clinical and angiographic evidence of middle cerebral artery vasospasm or stenosis. Decreased peak velocity and blunted waveforms occurred in the middle cerebral artery ipsilateral to severe extracranial internal carotid stenosis with poor crossfilling from the contralateral carotid artery. Abnormalities resolved following carotid endarterectomy. Transcranial Doppler identifies vasospasm or stenosis of the middle cerebral artery and may allow noninvasive evaluation of collateral flow across the anterior circle of Willis in patients with extracranial carotid artery stenosis.