CORRELATION OF VENTRICULAR SIZE AND TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER FINDINGS BEFORE AND AFTER VENTRICULAR PERITONEAL SHUNT IN PATIENTS WITH HYDROCEPHALUS - PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 35 PATIENTS

Objective-To compare the cerebral blood flow velocity and pulsatility index in patients with hydrocephalus and to correlate the blood flow v elocity to shunt function and size of ventricles in CT. Methods-The st udy comprised 16 children and 19 adults, preoperative (transcranial Do ppler, TCD) disclosed normal pulsatility index in six and raised pulsa tility index in 29 patients. Preoperative CT showed moderate hydroceph alus in 32 and severe hydrocephalus in three patients. All patients ha d CT and TCD 36-48 hours after their shunt operation. Results-A marked reduction in pulsatility index occurred postoperatively in 28 patient s, all of them showed asignificant decrease in ventricular size on pos toperative CT done simultaneously. Mild or no reduction of pulsatility index was recorded in seven patients and none of them showed decrease d ventricular size on postoperative CT. In two patients subsequent shu nt blockage was accompanied by appropriate changes in both pulsatility index and CT, which reversed after successful shunt revision. Conclus ion-Fall in pulsatility index correlated well with decrease in ventric le size. Thus TCD can be used as a simple, bedside test for the assess ment of shunt function.