Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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An association between dural arteriovenous fistula and cerebral sinus thrombosis is reported. It is clear in several cases that thrombosis precedes the development of the fistula while it is unclear that it occurs in every case. The authors report a case of a woman with sinus thrombosis and presence of prothrombin gene mutation who subsequently developed a large dural arteriovenous fistula. Various possible factors involved in the pathogenesis of a dural fistula are discussed, with emphasis on underlying thrombophilia and oral contraceptive use in this patient.
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The authors investigated the feasibility and accuracy of intravascular Doppler sonography (IVDS) with a newly developed microprobe. ⋯ For percutaneously directly reachable vessels, the transcutaneous Doppler sonography is the choice for easy noninvasive and inexpensive measurement of blood flow velocity. However, for vessels that are difficult or impossible to reach percutaneously, intravascular measurement is a valid procedure.
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Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) have a distinct diagnostic impact on transcranial Doppler (TCD) and duplex sonography. In addition to the properties of the UCA and ultrasound imaging modes, the duration of contrast enhancement depends on the administration mode. Infusion of UCAs may be appropriate for prolonging the diagnostically useful time of elevated Doppler intensity. ⋯ Pharmacokinetic analysis of SonoVue during inflow (by exponential functional fitting of the time-mean intensity curves) and elimination (by linear regression analysis) revealed no dose-related differences. This study demonstrated a dose-dependent level of increased Doppler mean intensity within the brain circulation during infusion of SonoVue. Unlike the bell-shaped course of Doppler signal enhancement seen after bolus injection, infusion generates a stable plateau, which is an important prerequisite for more advanced contrast applications.