Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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Case Reports
Vasospasm followed by diastolic flow reversal in the intracranial arteries after subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Vasospasm and raised intracranial pressure (ICP) are common complications in subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) due to ruptured intracranial aneurysm. Vasospasm can be reliably monitored by repeated transcranial Doppler (TCD) examinations. The changes in flow velocities due to vasospasm are useful for early diagnosis, monitoring effectiveness of treatment and determining prognosis. ⋯ These temporal changes observed during serial TCD examinations were well correlated with the ICP. Transcranial Doppler is a reliable, beat-to-beat, non-invasive and reproducible bedside test that can be used to monitor vasospasm and ICP in SAH. The use of TCD can be extended to other intracranial diseases that can potentially lead to an abnormally high ICP.