Acetazolamide vasoreactivity in vascular dementia and persistent vegetative state evaluated by transcranial harmonic perfusion imaging and Doppler sonography

The impact of cerebral vasomotor reactivity on cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive impairment

The regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is a complex and tightly controlled function ensuring delivery of oxygen and nutrients and removal of metabolic wastes from brain tissue. Cerebral vasoreactivity (CVR) refers to the ability of the nervous system to regulate CBF according to metabolic demands or changes in the microenvironment. This can be assessed through a variety of nuclear medicine and imaging techniques and protocols. Several studies have investigated the association of CVR with physiological and pathological conditions, with particular reference to the relationship with cognitive impairment and cerebrovascular disorders (CVD). A better understanding of the interaction between CVR and cognitive dysfunction in chronic and particularly acute CVD could help improving treatment and rehabilitation strategies in these patients. In this paper, we reviewed current knowledge on CVR alterations in the context of acute and chronic CVD and cognitive dysfunction. Alterations in CVR and hemodynamics have been described in patients with both neurodegenerative and vascular cognitive impairment, and the severity of these alterations seems to correlate with CVR derailment. Furthermore, an increased risk of cognitive impairment progression has been associated with alterations in CVR parameters and hemodynamics. Few studies have investigated these associations in acute cerebrovascular disorders and the results are inconsistent; thus, further research on this topic is encouraged.

Comparison of Transcranial Brain Tissue Perfusion Images Between Ultraharmonic, Second Harmonic, and Power Harmonic Imaging

Background and Purpose— To clarify optimal brain tissue perfusion images visualized by transcranial ultrasound harmonic imaging, we compared gray-scale integrated backscatter (IBS) images of new ultraharmonic imaging (UHI) and conventional second harmonic imaging (SHI) with power harmonic imaging (PHI) (harmonic B-mode with harmonic power Doppler images) in 10 patients with and 4 without a temporal skull.

Methods— Using a SONOS 5500 (Philips), we evaluated transient response images taken after a bolus Levovist injection at a horizontal diencephalic plane via temporal windows. Based on transmitting/receiving frequencies (MHz), 4 imaging procedures using an S3 transducer (SHI2.6 [1.3/2.6], UHI [1.3/3.6], PHI2.6 [1.3/2.6], and PHI3.2 [1.6/3.2]) and 2 imaging procedures using an S4 transducer (SHI3.6 [1.8/3.6] and PHI3.6 [1.8/3.6]) were compared in terms of size and location, peak intensity (PI), contrast area demarcation, and background image quality.

Results— In intact skull cases, gray-scale imaging tended to show larger contrast areas than PHI. A large contrast area was most frequently observed in SHI2.6 images, despite there being more high-PI cases in UHI. No contrast area with unclear background was observed in a few cases. In craniectomized cases, all contrast images tended to have large and high PI compared with the intact skull cases. PHI, particularly PHI3.6, demonstrated sharper demarcation and a clearer background than gray-scale imaging.

Conclusions— Transcranial gray-scale SHI using a low receiving frequency of 2.6 MHz is the superior method. PHI identifies contrast area localization better than gray-scale imaging and is particularly suitable for intraoperative and postoperative cases.