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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Brain Death Induction in Mice Using Intra-Arterial Blood Pressure Monitoring and Ventilation via Tracheostomy

Brain Death Induction in Mice Using Intra-Arterial Blood Pressure Monitoring and Ventilation via Tracheostomy

Published on: April 17, 2020

Ancillary testing in brain death.

Andreas H Kramer¹

¹Department of Critical Care Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Seminars in Neurology

|April 4, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Diagnosing brain death involves varied ancillary testing globally. Blood flow evaluation is preferred, with specific venous enhancement criteria showing highest sensitivity for confirming circulatory arrest.

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Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

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Published on: June 3, 2020

Area of Science:

Neurology
Forensic Medicine
Critical Care Medicine

Background:

The diagnosis of brain death is universally accepted, yet ancillary testing practices vary significantly worldwide.
Ancillary tests are often employed when clinical assessments are confounded by factors like physiological instability or when apnea testing is not feasible.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the global variability in ancillary testing for brain death diagnosis.
To evaluate the role and effectiveness of different ancillary tests in confirming intracranial circulatory arrest.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature and global practices regarding ancillary tests for brain death.
Analysis of various imaging techniques, including angiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance angiography, radionuclide imaging, and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.
Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of different methods in detecting intracranial circulatory arrest.

Main Results:

Blood flow evaluation is increasingly preferred over brain function tests due to fewer confounding clinical factors.
Angiographic criteria, particularly the lack of enhancement in cerebral veins, demonstrate high sensitivity for intracranial circulatory arrest.
Emerging technologies like CT angiography, MR angiography, and radionuclide imaging offer alternatives, with transcranial Doppler providing bedside assessment of brain blood flow.

Conclusions:

While clinical assessment is primary, ancillary tests play a crucial role, especially in complex cases.
Cerebral blood flow studies, particularly those assessing venous opacification, are highly sensitive for confirming brain death.
Further research is needed to fully establish the specificity of newer imaging techniques for intracranial circulatory arrest.