Bouzat P, Francony G, Declety P, Genty C, Kaddour A, Bessou P, Brun J, Jacquot C, Chabardes S, Bosson JL, Payen JF. Transcranial Doppler to screen on admission patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.
Neurosurgery 2011;
68:1603-9; discussion 1609-10. [PMID:
21311381 DOI:
10.1227/neu.0b013e31820cd43e]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Detecting patients at risk for secondary neurological deterioration (SND) after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury is challenging.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial Doppler (TCD) on admission in screening these patients.
METHODS
This prospective, observational cohort study enrolled 98 traumatic brain injury patients with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 9 to 15 whose initial computed tomography (CT) scan showed either absent or mild lesions according to the Trauma Coma Data Bank (TCDB) classification, ie, TCDB I and TCDB II, respectively. TCD measurements of the 2 middle cerebral arteries were obtained on admission under stable conditions in all patients. Neurological outcome was reassessed on day 7.
RESULTS
Of the 98 patients, 21 showed SND, ie, a decrease of ≥ 2 points from the initial Glasgow Coma Scale or requiring any treatment for neurological deterioration. Diastolic cerebral blood flow velocities and pulsatility index measurements were different between patients with SND and patients with no SND. Using receiver-operating characteristic analysis, we found the best threshold limits to be 25 cm/s (sensitivity, 92%; specificity, 76%; area under curve, 0.93) for diastolic cerebral blood flow velocity and 1.25 (sensitivity, 90%; specificity, 91%; area under curve, 0.95) for pulsatility index. According to a recursive-partitioning analysis, TCDB classification and TCD measurements were the most discriminative among variables to detect patients at risk for SND.
CONCLUSION
In patients with no severe brain lesions on CT after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury, TCD on admission, in complement with brain CT scan, could accurately screen patients at risk for SND.
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