MIRROR-IMAGE ARTIFACT CAN AFFECT TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER INTERPRETATION

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) allows evaluation of blood- flow velocity in intracranial arteries detection and monitoring of vas ospasm in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Spectral Doppler arti facts can affect TCD data. A 1-month series oi TCD findings showed mar ked fluctuation in blood-flow velocity values in both the middle and a nterior cerebral arteries of a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage. A mirror-image artifact of the Doppler fast Fourier transform velocity spectrum resulted in erroneous interpretation of higher flow velocity in certain vessels. This artifact may cause misinterpretation of TCD f low-velocity data and lead to improper diagnosis of the condition and treatment of patients.