Trans cranial Doppler (TCD)

It is a form of ultrasonography and is used in the diagnosis of Stroke along with the CT Scanner, MRI and MRA. It is a test that measures the velocity of blood flow through the brain`s blood vessels. It is used for the diagnosis of stroke, emboli, stenosis, and vasospasm from a subarachnoid hemorrhage and bleeding from a ruptured aneurysm. This test is relatively quick and can be done at the patient bedside unlike CT Scan & MRI, where the patient is taken to the imaging department.

Advantages

TCD can be done at the bedside, is noninvasive, and gives ‘real time’ imaging of the blood vessels of the brain.

When TCD is done?

It is usually done to diagnose the following conditions:

• Acute Stroke Diagnosis and therapeutics
• Cerebral Emboli
• Monitoring Vasospasm in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
• Sickle cell anemia
• Diagnosis of PFO
• Cerebral Circulatory Arrest
• Cerebral Vasomotor reactivity
• Intracranial Stenosis