Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2025

Point of Care Transcranial Color-Coded Duplex Ultrasound of the Middle Cerebral Artery
Published on: August 9, 2024
Critical closing pressure as a new hemodynamic marker of cerebral small vessel diseases burden
Xian Fu1, Weijin Zhang2, Xianliang Li2
1Department of Neurology, Shenzhen Bao'an District Songgang People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Purpose:
To investigate cerebrovascular hemodynamics, including critical closing pressure (CrCP) and pulsatility index (PI), and their independent relationship with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) burden in patients with small-vessel occlusion (SVO).
Methods:
We recruited consecutive patients with SVO of acute cerebral infarction who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial Doppler (TCD) and CrCP during admission. Cerebrovascular hemodynamics were assessed using TCD. We used the CSVD score to rate the total MRI burden of CSVD. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine parameters related to CSVD burden or CrCP.
Results:
Ninety-seven of 120 patients (mean age, 64.51 ± 9.99 years; 76% male) completed the full evaluations in this study. We observed that CrCP was an independent determinant of CSVD burden in four models [odds ratio, 1.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17-1.71; P < 0.001] and correlated with CSVD burden [β (95% CI): 0.05 (0.04-0.06); P < 0.001]. In ROC analysis, CrCP was considered as a predictor of CSVD burden, and AUC was 86.2% (95% CI, 78.6-93.9%; P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CrCP was significantly correlated with age [β (95% CI): 0.27 (0.06 to 0.47); P = 0.012], BMI [β (95% CI): 0.61 (0.00-1.22)] and systolic BP [β (95% CI): 0.16 (0.09-0.23); P < 0.001].
Conclusions:
CrCP representing cerebrovascular tension is an independent determinant and predictor of CSVD burden. It was significantly correlated with age, BMI and systolic blood pressure. These results provide new insights in the mechanism of CSVD development.

