Abstract TP115: Cerebral Hemodynamic Changes in Military Personnel With Long-term Effects of Concussions

Abstract

Service members (SMs) suffer from repeated exposure to concussions or mild TBI, which can disrupt cerebral blood flow. This effect is seen in the acute phase of TBI, but the development of vascular wall abnormalities, which can lead to luminal narrowing and abnormally elevated cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFV), has not been studied in the post concussive phase. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the transcranial Doppler (TCD) determined incidence of abnormal cerebral hemodynamics in patients with long-term effects of mTBI. Material and Methods: TCD recordings of mean CBFV in cm/sec and Pulsatility Indices (PI) were recorded from 431 SMs (9 females; ages 24-54, mean age 39.2 ± 6.4 years) who were admitted to the National Intrepid Center of Excellence 4-week Interdisciplinary Outpatient Program. TCD data were analyzed to determine whether SMs exhibited abnormal CBFV s in the middle cerebral artery, internal carotid artery (ICA), and basilar artery. All subjects consented to protocol #362504 prior to any data collection or analysis. Two standard deviation from the mean CBFV in any direction labeled as an abnormal and PI was assumed normal with values between 0.7 and 0.9 Patients with one or more vessels with abnormal CBFV’s and PI’s were labeled as abnormal. Results: Average time since last TBI was 5.1 ± 3.4 years. We observed abnormal CBFV values in 33% of SMs. 149 (35%) and 48 (11%) demonstrated abnormally high CBFV and PIs in one or more vessels, respectively. Abnormal CBFV was observed most frequently in the ICA (48%). Majority of studied patients had patchy pattern of abnormal data presented in one or few vessels. The presence of abnormal cerebral hemodynamics was inversely related to the time since the last mTBI exposure: the likelihood of abnormal CBFV values deceased with increasing time since last head injury was sustained but was still present. Conclusions: Our data reveal that a large proportion of SMs have elevated CBFVs following mTBI exposure in many years after last mTBI. We believe that head injuries due to combat and training blast and blunt force trauma exposure cause early atherosclerotic or fibrotic changes in the large vessel walls of the Circle of Willis, which results in vascular lumen narrowing and increased CBFV’s.