Aim: A newly developed convergent color Doppler (CCD) was used for evaluating the possible relationship of the flow dynamics of the internal carotid artery to silent cerebral infarction (SCI).
Methods: In 108 patients (65+/-8 years) with stroke risk factors, the CCD simultaneously images information, on both flow direction and Doppler signal energy. The relation between turbulent flow and the incidence of brain lesions of SCI as identified by magnetic resonance imaging was investigated in 212 vessels, excluding four occluded vessels. Percent area stenosis was measured as (vessel area - lumen area)/(vessel area) on cross-sectional echo image of stenotic site.
Results: Incidence of turbulent flow in SCI patients with 50-70% or 70-90% stenosis was higher (76.5 or 59.1%) than that in non-SCI patients (17.4 or 33.3%, both p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: Non-invasive assessment of flow dynamics by CCD imaging can be useful for proposing the early stages of brain damage even in patients free from neurological deficits.