BACKGROUND: Air-saline transcranial Doppler is nowadays the first-choice examination to identify right-to-left shunt. To increase right-to-left shunt detection in echocardiography, cardiologists also use air-gelatin mixtures, which are more stable, more echogenic, and easier to be prepared. AIM: We assessed the sensitivity of air-gelatin compared with air-saline for transcranial Doppler right-to-left shunt detection. METHODS: Air-saline transcranial Doppler, during unilateral middle cerebral artery monitoring at rest and after Valsalva maneuver, was performed in patients referred to our neurosonology laboratory for right-to-left shunt detection. The same transcranial Doppler protocol was repeated with air-gelatin. To consider transcranial Doppler positive for cardiac right-to-left shunt, at least one embolic signal had to be detected within 20″ from contrast injection. Later signals were interpreted of pulmonary origin. Trans-thoracic echocardiography was repeated with both air-saline and air-gelatin. RESULTS: A total of 97 patients were enrolled; 46 had negative transcranial Doppler for cardiac right-to-left shunt with both air-saline and air-gelatin; out of these, four patients with air-saline plus two more patients with air-gelatin presented late, isolated microemboli, slightly more numerous with air-gelatin: these were interpreted as pulmonary shunts and confirmed with trans-thoracic echocardiography. In 28 patients with already early positive air-saline transcranial Doppler at rest, air-gelatin induced a marked right-to-left shunt increase, facilitating its visualization at trans-thoracic echocardiography. In 23 patients in whom air-saline transcranial Doppler was negative at rest and positive for cardiac right-to-left shunt only after Valsalva maneuver, air-gelatin was able to reveal shunt also at rest. CONCLUSIONS: Air-gelatin increases right-to-left shunt detection sensitivity with transcranial Doppler in particular at rest, even in patients in whom air-saline mixture fails to identify the shunt. The choice of air-gelatin mixture should be considered for multicentric, clinical, and research trials.

Right-to-eft Shunt detection sensitivity with air-saline and air-succinilgelatin transcranial doppler / Puledda, Francesca; Toscano, Massimiliano; Pieroni, Alessio; Veneroso, Gabriele; DI PIERO, Vittorio; Vicenzini, E.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE. - ISSN 1747-4930. - STAMPA. - 11:2(2016), pp. 229-238. [10.1177/1747493015609938]

Right-to-eft Shunt detection sensitivity with air-saline and air-succinilgelatin transcranial doppler

PULEDDA, FRANCESCA;TOSCANO, MASSIMILIANO;PIERONI, ALESSIO;VENEROSO, Gabriele;DI PIERO, Vittorio;
2016

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Air-saline transcranial Doppler is nowadays the first-choice examination to identify right-to-left shunt. To increase right-to-left shunt detection in echocardiography, cardiologists also use air-gelatin mixtures, which are more stable, more echogenic, and easier to be prepared. AIM: We assessed the sensitivity of air-gelatin compared with air-saline for transcranial Doppler right-to-left shunt detection. METHODS: Air-saline transcranial Doppler, during unilateral middle cerebral artery monitoring at rest and after Valsalva maneuver, was performed in patients referred to our neurosonology laboratory for right-to-left shunt detection. The same transcranial Doppler protocol was repeated with air-gelatin. To consider transcranial Doppler positive for cardiac right-to-left shunt, at least one embolic signal had to be detected within 20″ from contrast injection. Later signals were interpreted of pulmonary origin. Trans-thoracic echocardiography was repeated with both air-saline and air-gelatin. RESULTS: A total of 97 patients were enrolled; 46 had negative transcranial Doppler for cardiac right-to-left shunt with both air-saline and air-gelatin; out of these, four patients with air-saline plus two more patients with air-gelatin presented late, isolated microemboli, slightly more numerous with air-gelatin: these were interpreted as pulmonary shunts and confirmed with trans-thoracic echocardiography. In 28 patients with already early positive air-saline transcranial Doppler at rest, air-gelatin induced a marked right-to-left shunt increase, facilitating its visualization at trans-thoracic echocardiography. In 23 patients in whom air-saline transcranial Doppler was negative at rest and positive for cardiac right-to-left shunt only after Valsalva maneuver, air-gelatin was able to reveal shunt also at rest. CONCLUSIONS: Air-gelatin increases right-to-left shunt detection sensitivity with transcranial Doppler in particular at rest, even in patients in whom air-saline mixture fails to identify the shunt. The choice of air-gelatin mixture should be considered for multicentric, clinical, and research trials.
2016
transcranial doppler; right-to-left shunt; ultrasound contrast agents
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Right-to-eft Shunt detection sensitivity with air-saline and air-succinilgelatin transcranial doppler / Puledda, Francesca; Toscano, Massimiliano; Pieroni, Alessio; Veneroso, Gabriele; DI PIERO, Vittorio; Vicenzini, E.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE. - ISSN 1747-4930. - STAMPA. - 11:2(2016), pp. 229-238. [10.1177/1747493015609938]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/851297
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