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Published on: October 20, 2017
The "seagull cry" in a patient with a cerebral arteriovenous malformation
N Morelli1, E Rota, E Michieletti
1Neurology Unit, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, Piacenza, Italy ; Radiology Unit, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, Piacenza, Italy.
Introduction:
The "seagull cry" is an acoustic phenomenon heard during duplex ultrasound. It is caused by harmonic covibrations of a vessel wall in the presence of high-velocity blood flow. It has been reported in a few cases of cerebrovascular disease, such as severe intracranial stenosis, vasospasm or carotid-cavernous fistula.
Material And Methods:
A 35-year-old man underwent transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) for work-up of a severe new-onset headache.
Results:
Doppler spectral analysis of the right intracranial carotid bifurcation revealed multiple pairs of mirror-image parallel strings, and a high-frequency seagull cry was heard. Computed tomography-angiography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an arteriovenous malformation in the right temporal lobe.
Discussion:
The seagull cry is a "musical murmur" with single or multiple frequency that sounds like a musical tone. This is the first report of this phenomenon in a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.
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