TRANSOCCIPITAL POWER-BASED COLOR-CODED DUPLEX SONOGRAPHY OF CEREBRAL SINUSES AND VEINS

Background and Purpose Power-based transcranial color-coded duplex son ography is a new development for cerebrovascular imaging that is suite d for detection of slow velocities. The purpose of this study was to e valuate the ability of this technique to detect cerebral sinuses and v eins by means of the occipital window and to provide reference data. M ethods The straight and inferior sagittal sinuses, great and internal cerebral veins, and basal veins were insonated in 120 normal subjects. The number of identified vessels. peak systolic (PSV) and end-diastol ic (PDV) velocities, and resistance indices were determined. Results I n subjects aged 20 to 59 years, straight sinuses were identified in 81 % and great and internal cerebral veins in 34%. In subjects aged 60 to 79 years, straight sinuses were detected in 50%, great cerebral veins in 20%, and internal cerebral veins in 13%. All insonated inferior sa gittal sinuses and basal veins were missed. Velocities were highest in straight sinuses (PSV, 35 [7 to 64] cm/s; PDV, 23 [2 to 43] cm/s), sl ower in great cerebral veins (PSV, 23 [12 to 34] cm/s; PDV, 16 [7 to 2 6] cm/s), and slowest in internal cerebral veins (PSV, 14 [10 to 18] c m/s; PDV, 10 [5 to 15] cm/s) (mean with 95% confidence intervals [CIs] ). Straight sinus velocities decreased with age for PSV (20 to 39 year s, 40 [7 to 73] cm/s; 60 to 79 years, 28 [9 to 46] cm/s; P<.01) and PD V values (20 to 39 years, 28 [4 to 52] cm/s; 60 to 79 years, 16 [5 to 26] cm/s; P<.001) (mean with 95% CIs) and were higher in women than me n in the group aged 20 to 39 years. (P<.05). Resistance indices increa sed with age in the straight sinus (20 to 39 years, 0.30 [0.18 to 0.42 ]; 60 to 79 years, 0.42 [0.31 to 0.53]; P<.001) (mean with 95% CIs). C onclusions Transoccipital power-based color-coded duplex sonography en abled imaging and velocity measurements in the straight sinus of subje cts aged 20 to 59 years. In elder subjects detection rate of the strai ght sinus decreased, and it was low for deep cerebral veins in all age groups.