Neurológia pre prax 4/2017

Detecting microemboli with transcranial Doppler

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a method of choice for detecting embolism into the cerebral vascular bed. This test is indicated in patients with a risk of embolism in order to identify and locate the source of embolism; to select patients with a higher risk of embolic and/or thromboembolic ischaemic stroke; to adjust or monitor the efficacy of antithrombotic treatment; in patients undergoing interventional procedures with an increased risk of embolism; or to identify divers with a higher risk of decompression sickness. Given the different parameters for adjusting the TCD device and various characteristics used to detect emboli, an international consensus for detecting microembolism by using TCD was adopted in 1998 that defines the characteristics of the microembolic signal as well as the parameters for adjusting the TCD device.

Keywords: transcranial Doppler, thrombus, embolus, paradoxical embolism