Diagnosis of cerebral arteriovenous malformation by contrast two-dimensional and Doppler ultrasonography of the head after saline injection in the umbilical arterial line

Ultrasound contrast media and their use in obstetrics and gynecology

Contrast media have gained acceptance to enhance ultrasonography in many fields of medicine; in particular, cardiology. Several agents have been described and many more are being manufactured and tested. By increasing the number of strong sound scatterers, these agents improve images by increasing the amount of echoes. This is true both for grey-scale and color or Doppler imaging. Their use in obstetrics is very limited at the moment because of safety issues. In a laboratory setup, they have been shown to markedly enhance placental imaging. In gynecology, imaging of the uterine cavity and Fallopian tubes is greatly improved. A potential area where ultrasound contrast may find a role is gynecological oncology. Vascularity is increased in many tumors, but usually vessel diameter is small and velocity low. One can therefore expect future use of the ultrasound contrast agents in ovarian or other gynecological neoplasms.

Arteriovenous malformation of the vein of Galen in a newborn diagnosed with color Doppler examination--a case report

A fourteen-day-old newborn infant presented with severe heart failure due to arteriovenous malformation of the vein of Galen. It was diagnosed by two-dimensional, pulsed-wave and color Doppler echocardiographic imaging. The latter method showed the afferent vessel to be the anterior cerebral artery entering an aneurysm of the vein of Galen at its posterior aspect. Information for surgical anatomic definition appears to be adequately provided by color Doppler examination, which permits avoidance of preoperative angiography.

Cerebral arteriovenous malformation diagnosis by two-dimensional color-coded Doppler ultrasonography of the head

Two-dimensional color-coded Doppler examination revealed a cranial arteriovenous (AV) malformation in a critically ill newborn with intractable congestive heart failure. This case emphasizes the value of color-coded Doppler in the diagnosis of this rare malformation.

Evaluation of vein of Galen arteriovenous malformation in newborns by two dimensional ultrasound, pulsed and colour Doppler method

Two babies with severe cardiac failure caused by a large arteriovenous malformation of the vein of Galen were evaluated with 2-dimensional ultrasound, pulsed and colour Doppler techniques. In both cases similar findings were recorded: dilated right cardiac chambers with high cardiac output in superior vena cava and ascending aorta; retrograde diastolic flow in descending aorta and continuous forward flow in arch arteries reflecting low resistance to flow in cerebral arteries; recirculation of microbubbles through the superior vena cava after passage unchanged through the cerebral malformation following contrast injection of saline into a peripheral vein or an arterial umbilical line. In addition, colour Doppler study of the brain clearly showed the malformation and the dilated straight sinus. Arteriovenous malformation of the vein of Galen can be noninvasively and easily detected by ultrasound studies of the heart and the brain.