[Dynamic assessment of blood flow in pre-cranial and intracranial arteries in patients with mild head injuries].

Mild head injury constitutes about 75% of all head injury cases. The post-concussion syndrome usually following a mild head injury is connected with numerous symptoms and not very severe signs. Research findings indicate that the symptoms related to mild head injuries persist for over 6 months in most patients. Accumulating evidence provided by neuropathological, physiological, psychological and neuroimaging studies pointing to an organic substrate of the postconcussion syndrome invalidates the "Hollywood head injury myth". No information is available on Doppler evaluation in patients with mild head injury. The aim of the study was to evaluate blood flow in selected precranial and intracranial vessels using Doppler ultrasonography in patients at various stages after mild head injuries. The dynamic assessment of blood flow velocity and pulsatility index was carried out in 51 patients on the day of the injury, on the third day, and the sixth day. Moreover, 22 patients were assessed at a follow-up six months to five years the injury. The control group consisted of 61 healthy volunteers. Obtained results show an increase in the blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery on the day of the injury and a decrease within the following days in younger patients (aged < 30 yrs). In older persons (aged > 30 yrs) and patients with injuries sustained in a distant past, the indices of blood flow velocity in precranial and intracranial arteries did not significantly differ from these in the control group of comparable age. In our opinion mild head injury affects the blood flow velocity in cerebral arteries. The haemodynamic disturbances noted in younger patients with mild head injuries seem to be connected with changes in the autonomous nervous system activity.