TCD diastolic velocity decay and pulsatility index increment in PVS cases.

Background: Functional neuroimaging has provided new insights for assessing cerebral function in persistent vegetative state patients (PVS). Compared to controls, positron emission tomography and single photon emission tomography have shown a substantial reduction of global brain cerebral glucose metabolism and perfusion in PVS. Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) assesses local blood flow velocity and direction in the proximal portions of large intracranial arteries; it is a noninvasive technique, and it can be carried out at the bedside.

Brain death diagnosis and apnea test safety.

The apnea test is a mandatory examination for determining brain death (BD), because it provides an essential sign of definitive loss of brainstem function. However, several authors have expressed their concern about the safety of this procedure as there are potential complications such as severe hypotension, pneumothorax, excessive hypercarbia, hypoxia, acidosis, and cardiac arrhythmia or asystole. These complications may constrain the examiner to abort the test, thereby compromising BD diagnosis.

TCD systolic spikes in a malignant MCA infarct.

Introduction: Malignant MCA infarction results in significant space occupying effect and intracranial pressure (ICP) increment. Due to the high mortality rate in such patients, the term malignant MCA infarction was coined.

Methods: We studied a patient who developed a sudden onset of slurred speech, right hemiplegia, and decreased level of arousal.

Coexistence of vasospasm and microembolism detected by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in a patient with subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Delayed cerebral ischaemia as a clinical expression of vasospasm is one of the main complications of subarachnoid haemorrhage. In some cases, ischaemic manifestations can be related to cerebral emboli, but the relationship between vasospasm, damaged endothelial lining, and embolism, remains to be proven. The case is presented of a 56-year-old female patient who, 5 days after the clipping of an aneurysm in the left middle cerebral artery (MCA), suffered transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) of this arterial territory.

Duplicated middle cerebral artery.

Duplicated middle cerebral artery (DMCA) is an anomalous vessel arising from the internal carotid artery. The incidence DMCA is relatively law, and an association between this anomaly and cerebral aneurysms has been documented. There is a controversy whether DMCA may have perforating arteries.

Subsequent bilateral thalamic haemorrhage.

Simultaneous or subsequent bilateral thalamic haemorrhage is rare, and most reported cases are from Asian countries. An 80-year-old white Cuban man, with a history of arterial hypertension, suffered sudden onset of right hemiparesis. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed a left posteromedial thalamic haemorrhage.

[Lipids and lipoproteins in a group of patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease].

Objective: To study the blood levels of a group of lipids and lipoproteins in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease which was not secondary to cardiac embolic disease.

Patients And Methods: We assessed 40 patients of an average age of 64.5 years.