Transcranial Doppler studies of middle cerebral artery blood flow following different test conditions.

Abstract

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is a noninvasive method of studying cerebral haemodynamics, allowing the measurement of blood velocity in the major intracranial vessels using ultrasound signals transmitted through bone.[1] Cerebral circulation is controlled mainly by auto regulation and fluctuations in blood CO2 and O2, with scarcely any changes when arterial pressure is constant between 50 and 140mmHg.[2] We recorded the blood velocity in both right and left middle cerebral arteries (MCA) in a 26 year old male volunteer with TCD (DWL Ultrasonic Doppler System, Sipplingen, Germany).