Diagnostic approach to cerebrovascular disorders in childhood-evaluation by transcranial duplex-doppler ultrasonography

Cerebrovascular disorders (CVD) are a complex medical problem with a wide variety of different etiologies. Symptoms are often atypical and subtle. Diagnostic methods are often invasive. Many autors have tried to find a noninvasive method which could be a "screening method". This is Transcranial-Duplex-Doppler ulstrasonography (TCDD). We use it in patients with pulsating headache, vertigo, seizures, hemiparesis and other neurologic dysabillities. Here, we present eight patients between the ages of 1-16, with cerebrovascular disorders. Six of them had ischemic cerebral infarction. Their cerebral circulation was examined by TCDD. We found reduced cerebral blood flow at the site of the ischemic lesion, as a sign of hypoperfusion. Control TCDD findings were normal in patients with transient ischemic attacks, but are unchanged in patients with ischemic insult. Patients with stenosis of the cerebral arteries had typical TCDD findings. Treatment of CVD is often insufficient, because they often cause permanent neurologic deficits. So, early diagnosis and treatment of predisposing conditions are important for the