This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Karnik, R. Articles by Slany, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Karnik, R. Articles by Slany, J.

Stroke, Vol 23, 284-287, Copyright © 1992 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Transcranial Doppler sonography monitoring of local intra-arterial thrombolysis in acute occlusion of the middle cerebral artery

R Karnik, P Stelzer and J Slany
2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung, Vienna, Austria.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to report on the use of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography as a noninvasive diagnostic monitoring tool during local intra-arterial thrombolysis in a patient with acute embolic occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a 41-year-old woman with mitral valve stenosis suffering from embolism of the middle cerebral artery. Local thrombolysis was performed with tissue plasminogen activator at a dosage of 0.05 mg/kg/hr. Progress of the thrombolysis was monitored by transcranial Doppler. The steps of recanalization could be ascertained by transcranial ultrasound showing a hemodynamically relevant residual stenosis after the first 120 minutes and complete patency of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery 180 minutes later. One branch of the middle cerebral artery still showed a filling defect. CONCLUSIONS: Our report demonstrates the potential usefulness of transcranial Doppler monitoring during thrombolysis of a proximal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for guiding the treatment by assessing the reperfusion of the obstructed artery.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Pfaffenberger, B. Devcic-Kuhar, C. Kollmann, S. P. Kastl, C. Kaun, W. S. Speidl, T. W. Weiss, S. Demyanets, R. Ullrich, H. Sochor, et al. Can a Commercial Diagnostic Ultrasound Device Accelerate Thrombolysis?: An In Vitro Skull Model Stroke, January 1, 2005; 36(1): 124 - 128. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Bosch, J. L. Levenson, R. Martin-Bermudez, F. Murillo-Cabezas, J. M. Dominguez-Roldan, P. M. Reilly, A. Alavi, D. H. Jenkins, and S. Gilman Imaging the Brain N. Engl. J. Med., August 6, 1998; 339(6): 407 - 409. [Full Text]