Transcranial sonography: practical use in the intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Neurosonology
• Critical Care Medicine
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Brain ultrasonography is a valuable tool in intensive care.
• Transcranial colour-coded duplex (TCCD) is a rapidly growing bedside technique.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide intensivists with foundational knowledge for integrating TCCD into critical care.
• To cover essential Doppler physics, insonation techniques, and clinical applications of TCCD.

Main Methods:

• Review of TCCD principles and applications in intensive care settings.
• Focus on non-invasive, repeatable, and cost-effective bedside assessment.

Main Results:

• TCCD enables visualization of the circle of Willis and adjacent cerebral arteries.
• TCCD supports diagnosis in critical scenarios such as vasospasm, elevated intracranial pressure, stroke, and hematomas.

Conclusions:

• TCCD is a valuable addition to the intensivist's diagnostic arsenal.
• Effective integration of TCCD requires understanding its physics and clinical applications.