Application value of transcranial Doppler diagnosis for intracranial posterior circulation artery stenosis or occlusion

Abstract

Objective To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of transcranial Doppler (TCD) diagnosis for intracranial posterior circulation artery stenosis or occlusion.Methods Seventy-two cases of patients treated for posterior circulation intracranial artery stenosis or occlusion were chosen,TCD and CT angiography (CTA) tests were carried out and the results were compared and analyzed.Results Compared with CTA,the sensitivity for period of posterior circulation intracranial arteries by TCD was 82.50％,while specificity reached 94.64％.Positive predictive value attained 91.67％,while negative predictive value reached 88.33％ and the accuracy was 89.58％.Conclusions TCD diagnosis for period of posterior circulation intracranial arterial has high specificity,normal sensitivity,and the highest diagnosis accuracy for intracranial segment of vertebral artery.TCD can serve as early inspecting method for intracranial artery. Key words: Vertebral-basilar artery stenosis or occlusion; Posterior cerebral artery stenosis; Transcranial Doppler; CT angiography