Normative Ranges of Transcranial Doppler Metrics.

Abstract

To determine normal ranges for traditional transcranial Doppler (TCD) measurements for two age groups (14-19 and 20-29 years) and compare to existing literature results. The development of a normal range for TCD measurements will be required for the development of diagnostic and prognostic tests in the future. We performed TCD on the middle cerebral artery on 147 healthy subjects aged 18.9 years (SD = 2.1) and calculated mean cerebral blood flow velocity (mCBFV) and pulsatility index (PI). The study population was divided into two age populations (14-19 and 20-29 years). There was a significant decrease in PI (p = 0.015) for the older age group with no difference in mCBFV. Age-related, normal data are a prerequisite for TCD to continue to gain clinical acceptance. Our correlation of age-related TCD findings with previously published results as the generally accepted "gold standard" underlines the validity and sensitivity of this ultrasound method.