Study of - maximum systolic velocities and mean maximum velocities of skull base arteries recorded with transcranial Doppler in adult sickle cell patients without neurovascular complication

Abstract

Sickle cell disease is the leading genetic disease in Île-de-France. Stroke is one of its most severe complications. In SS sickle cell children, transcranial Doppler (TDC) is, through the study of average speeds of the skull base arteries, the gold standard for screening and diagnosis of vasculopathy. To our knowledge, in adults with sickle cell disease, no standards have been established for the speed of the arteries at the base of the skull. It therefore seemed useful to us to establish an approach to brain speeds recorded in adults with sickle cell disorders without neurovascular complications. This was an observational, prospective, monocentric study conducted between February 2017 and June 2017. The main objective of the study was to determine the mean and standard deviation of maximum systolic velocities (MSS) and mean maximum velocities for all arteries recorded during the transcranial Doppler echo. The secondary objectives were to compare the mean maximum systolic velocities in sickle cell adults with those of healthy adults, to compare the mean maximum systolic velocities in sickle cell adults with those of sickle cell children, and to determine whether parameters could influence the speeds recorded at TCD. Forty patients were included between February 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017, with an average age of 39.3 years. The mean maximum velocities recorded were: 78cm/s for the middle cerebral arteries; 59.6cm/s for the internal carotid arteries; 61cm/s for the anterior cerebral arteries; 44cm/s for the posterior cerebral arteries and 55cm/s for the basilar trunk. The highest circulatory velocities are found in the middle cerebral arteries. The speeds found in the internal carotid arteries and anterior cerebral arteries are faster than in the vertebrobasilar system. Speeds in sickle cell adults are slower than those described in sickle cell children SS but significantly faster than those found in healthy adults. To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate transcranial Doppler circulatory velocities in adult sickle cell patients. This work has limitations due to its small sample size, however, it provides a basis for further studies on transcranial Doppler in sickle cell adults.