[Cerebral hemodynamics in patients with traumatic brain injury evaluated by transcranial Doppler and transcranial color coded sonography. A comparison study].

Objective: To compare the number of vessels identified and mean velocity and pulsatility index values obtained by transcranial doppler (TCD) and transcranial color coded sonography (TCCS) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Methods: Thirty patients suffering from TBI admitted in our neurocritical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were studied. We performed consecutive studies by TCD and TCCS. The number of Circle of Willis vessels insonated and the hemodynamic parameters were compared.
Results: Mean age was 50 years. Twenty patients were male. By using TCCS, internal carotid artery was insonated in 95%, middle cerebral artery (MCA) in 95%, anterior cerebral artery (ACA) in 91% and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) in 92% of the studies. Using conventional TCD they were insonated in 29%, 93% 67% and 35% of the studies respectively. Mean velocity values measured by CCS and TCD in MCA were 79 cm/sec vs 59 cm/sec respectively (p< 0.0001), in ACA were 61 cm/sec vs 42 cm/sec (p< 0.0001) and in PCA were 43 cm/sec vs 33 cm/sec (p< 0.0001).
Conclusion: TCCS allows a high quality hemodynamic study of TBI patients admitted to the ICU. Further studies must define its impact on outcome of TBI patients.