Intracranial arterial duplex Doppler waveform analysis in infants.

Duplex sonography of the brain was performed on 130 pediatric patients: 53 with normal brains, 22 with intracranial hemorrhage, 15 with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, 29 with hydrocephalus requiring ventricular shunting, and 11 with ventriculomegaly without hemorrhage or shunting. Doppler arterial waveforms from the Circle of Willis showed increased pulsatility in 82% of patients with intracranial hemorrhage, 53% of patients with hypoxic-ischemic change, and in only 31% of patients with hydrocephalus requiring shunt and 36% of patients with ventriculomegaly without shunt or hemorrhage. Mean pulsatility was increased (p less than 0.05) in all groups except ventriculomegaly without hemorrhage or shunt. No statistical difference was found in the diagnostic efficiency of three indices of pulsatility (frequency index profile, pulsatility index, systolic to diastolic ratio).