3-D power Doppler cerebral angiography in neonates and young infants: Comparison with 2-D power Doppler angiography

The aims of this study were to evaluate the ability of 3-dimensional (3-D) power Doppler angiography (3DPDA) to depict the intracranial vasculature in infants, to compare with 2-D power Doppler ultrasonography (2DPDU), and to explore the potential clinical applications of this procedure in young inf ants with brain disorders, We performed 3DPDA in 27 infants. 2DPDU were com pleted in both sagittal and coronal directions in 12 of these patients, In the other 15, only right sagittal plane images were available for compariso n, Using a grading system and with only vessels with more than half of the length demonstrated included for comparison, we compared the Doppler signal s of major vessels. 3DPDA could have good visualization in more than 60% of the internal carotid artery, ophthalmic artery, pericallosal artery, callo somarginal artery, internal cerebral vein, vein of Galen, and straight sinu s in the sagittal plane. 3DPDA also could have good demonstration in about 50% of basilar artery in coronal plane, and posterior communicating artery, posterior cerebral artery, and lenticulostriate artery in sagittal plane. 3DPDA was better than 2DPDU in demonstrating all the major intracranial ves sels in different planes, except the anterior communicating artery. In the anterior communicating artery, neither can demonstrate more than 30%, (C) 1 999 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.