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Contrast enhanced pulsed Doppler and colourcoded Duplex studies of the cranial vasculature
Author(s) -
Haggag Kathrine J.,
Russell David,
Brucher Rainer,
Dahl Arve,
Jakobsen Jarl,
Bakke Søren,
Muan Berit
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1046/j.1468-1331.1999.640443.x
Subject(s) - medicine , circle of willis , microbubbles , contrast (vision) , radiology , transcranial doppler , doppler effect , internal carotid artery , ultrasound , doppler sonography , middle cerebral artery , color doppler , cardiology , ultrasonography , ischemia , physics , astronomy , artificial intelligence , computer science
: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Albunex, a vascular contrast agent based on albumin‐coated air microbubbles, on pulsed Doppler and colour‐coded duplex sonography of the cranial vasculature. Methods : Twenty healthy male volunteers received intravenous injections of contrast in single doses ranging from 0.08 to 0.30 ml/kg. Pulsed wave Doppler sonography examination and colour‐coded duplex sonography were carried out in the right internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) before and after i.v. contrast. The relative intensity increase of the Doppler signal was measured in decibels. Results : Transpulmonary passage of contrast occurred in sufficient amounts to enhance the intensity of the Doppler signal significantly, but the duration of this effect was short. Contrast enhancement also improved visualization of both the ICA and MCA in all subjects. For the transcranial examinations, this resulted in visualization of a greater length of the middle cerebral arteries and additional vessels in the Circle of Willis. Conclusions : These results confirm that contrast enhancement can significantly improve the quality of Doppler examination and colour‐coded duplex sonography of both the intracranial and extracranial vessels. However, the use of Albunex in neurosonology will be of limited value due to its relatively short duration.