CORRELATION OF TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER ULTRASONOGRAPHY WITH MRI AND MRA IN THE EVALUATION OF SICKLE-CELL DISEASE PATIENTS WITH PRIOR STROKE

We prospectively evaluated a group of patients with sickle cell diseas e and a clinical history of prior stroke, comparing transcranial Doppl er sonography (TCD) to both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magne tic resonance angiography (MRA) to determine its efficacy for the dete ction of flow abnormalities associated with prior cerebral infarction. Using MRI as the standard examination, there was 94 % sensitivity and 30 % specificity, and using MRA as the standard examination, there wa s 91 % sensitivity and 22 % specificity. We concur with other reports that the transcranial Doppler examination is a highly sensitive study. In our group of sickle cell disease patients with prior stroke, TCD r eliably detected flow abnormalities that correlated to areas of prior cerebral infarction.