Assessment of delayed cerebral vasospasm using intracisternal echography--technical note.

BACKGROUND

A new technique using intravascular ultrasound has been used for diagnosis of coronary artery in order to obtain intravascular echo images. In this study, an intracisternally positioned ultrasound catheter was introduced obtaining serial echo images of the first segment (MI) of the middle cerebral artery in order to detect cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

METHODS

Thirteen patients were admitted to Osaka Neurological Institute with SAH due to ruptured intracranial aneurysm. All patients underwent surgical neck clipping on the day of admission. In each patient, an 8 Fr. ultrasound imaging catheter (Cardiovascular Imaging Systems, Inc. (CVIS), Sunnyvale, CA) was detained intracisternally adjacent to the M1 segment following neck clipping of the aneurysm and placement of cisternal drainage(s) in the prepontine and/or distal portion of the Sylvian fissure. In order to detain the mirro device near the M1 segment, the tip of a 2.0 cm cisternal drainage tube (SILASCON, E-3L-12, Kaneka Medix Co, Osaka, Japan) was attached to the tip of the intravascular ultrasound catheter with 3-0 silk suture. The tip was placed in the prechiasmal cistern.

RESULTS

Angiographic evidence of delayed vasospasm was obtained for three (23.1%) of the 13 patients. In one (33.3%) of the three patients who had angiographic evidence of vasospasm (25% stenosis), decrease in the inner diameter of the M1 segment was detected on the echo images, but in the other two (66.7%), no such decrease was noted on echo images. Angiographically identified vasospasm in the latter patients was associated with only 10% stenosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Intracisternally positioned ultrasound catheter can be used for intermittent measurement of the diameter of a target artery for detection of cerebral vasospasm after SAH.