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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Functional Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for Monitoring Cerebral Blood Flow
Published on: March 15, 2021
Transcranial Doppler blood flow assessment in patients with mild heart failure: correlates with neuroimaging and
Raymond L C Vogels1, Joukje M Oosterman, David M Laman
1Department of Neurology, Sint Lucas-Andreas Hospital and the Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. r.vogels@vumc.nl
Insights
Mild heart failure patients show reduced cerebral blood flow velocity, potentially impacting cognitive function and brain health. This study investigated these effects using advanced imaging and Doppler ultrasonography.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Advanced heart failure is linked to reduced cardiac output and cerebral perfusion.
- Understanding early-stage effects on brain function is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess cerebral blood flow velocity in mild heart failure outpatients compared to controls.
- To investigate the relationship between reduced cerebral blood flow, cognitive performance, and brain abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography for measuring cerebral blood flow velocity.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosing brain abnormalities.
- Cognitive performance assessments.
Main Results:
- Cerebral blood flow velocity was found to be reduced in mild heart failure patients.
- The extent of this reduction correlated with cognitive deficits and MRI-detected brain abnormalities.
Conclusions:
- Even mild heart failure may compromise cerebral perfusion.
- Cerebral blood flow velocity serves as a potential indicator for cognitive impairment and brain changes in heart failure.
Abstract:
Cardiac output and cerebral perfusion are reduced in patients with advanced stages of heart failure. Our aim was to determine whether cerebral blood flow velocity measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was reduced in outpatients with mild heart failure in comparison to controls and, if so, whether this reduction was related to cognitive performance and abnormalities of the brain diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging.
