Vertebral and Basilar Arteries: Transcranial Color-Coded Duplex Ultrasonography versus Conventional TCD in Detection of Narrowings

Abstract

We prospectively compared the accuracies of conventional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) and transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCS) in the diagnosis of narrowing of the basilar (BA) and vertebral arteries (VA). Fifty-six consecutive patients (mean age 55.8 years; 34 women) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (n=46), stroke or transient ischemic attack (n=5), and for other reasons (n=5) underwent on the same day TCD, TCCS and the intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA) - the reference standard. The accuracy of peak-systolic (VPS), mean (VM), and end-diastolic velocities (VED) in detection of any arterial narrowing was estimated using the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve methodology and the total area (Az) under the curve. Accuracy of TCCS in detection of VA narrowing based on VPS and VM measurements was significantly higher than accuracy of TCD (Az=0.65 for VPS and Az=0.62 for VM versus Az=0.51 and Az=0.50, respectively, p<0.05 for both). Accuracy of TCCS in detection of BA narrowing was also higher than accuracy of TCD based on VPS measurements (Az=0.69 versus Az=0.50, respectively), with a trend toward significant difference, p=0.085. The accuracy of TCCS is superior to accuracy of TCD in detection of narrowings of vertebral and basilar arteries, thus TCCS should be preferred in routine clinical practice.