POWER DOPPLER COMPARED TO COLOR-CODED DUPLEX SONOGRAPHY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF THE BASAL CEREBRAL-CIRCULATION

Power-based transcranial duplex sonography (p-TDS) is a new promising ultrasound technique that generates intravascular color signals from t he amplitude of the echo signal. The present investigation was underta ken to determine the advantages and limitations of power Doppler in th e assessment of the basal cerebral circulation compared with transcran ial color-coded real-time sonography (TCCS) and contrast-enhanced tran scranial color-coded real-time sonography (CE-TCCS). Thirty-eight pati ents without cerebrovascular diseases were examined with p-TDS and TCC S, and in 11 patients CE-TCCS studies were performed. The M1 segment c ould be identified in 100% by both ultrasound techniques. p-TDS visual ized M2 (67/70 vs 46/70, p < 0.0001), AZ (63/70 vs 46/70, p < 0.001), and P2 (67/70 vs 44/70, p < 0.0001) segments significantly more freque ntly and accurately compared to TCCS. The posterior communicating arte ry (25/70) and P3 segments (32/70) were only detectable by p-TDS and n ot by conventional TCCS. In comparison with CE-TCCS, p-TDS had no impo rtant advantages in the detection of intracranial vessels. In conclusi on, p-TDS and CE-TCCS were superior to TCCS with regard to identificat ion of the basal arterial circulation. Both methods permit noninvasive and reliable identification of the basal cerebral circulation.