[Transcranial Doppler sonography in children. 2. Clinical uses].

Transcranial Doppler sonography of basal cerebral arteries is helpful for diagnosis and control of the course of paediatric diseases like patent ductus arteriosus, perinatal brain damage, increased intracranial pressure, cerebral malformations and stenoses and occlusions of main cerebral arteries. The technique also allows control of hyperventilation therapy of cerebral oedema. With a few exceptions, the Doppler results are not specific for a particular disease. However, they do supply important information on the specific pathophysiology of cerebral haemodynamics. The evaluation of the recordings should take into account the clinical condition of the child, the laboratory results, the results of imaging methods and intra- and interindividual comparisons.