Mapping real-time hemodynamic changes in venous sinus stenting using intraoperative transcranial Doppler...

Venopathic intracranial hypertension (VIH) is a condition of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) associated with venous sinus stenosis. Venous sinus stenting (VSS) can reconstitute outflow, yet physiological biomarkers to aid patient selection and assess treatment response remain limited. This study assessed intraoperative transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) and quantitative angiography as tools for detecting cerebral hemodynamic changes during VSS in patients with VIH.

The authors retrospectively analyzed 11 consecutive patients with VIH who underwent VSS using intraoperative TCD monitoring and quantitative angiographic assessment. Bilateral middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) were insonated via transtemporal windows to record the mean flow velocity (MFV) and pulsatility index (PI) before and after stent placement. In a subset of 5 patients, time to peak (TTP) contrast opacification was measured in the internal carotid artery (ICA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA), and MCA using standardized injection parameters. One-sample, 1-tailed t-tests compared pre- and postoperative changes against zero to determine significance.

The median patient age was 37 (IQR 29.5-40) years, 90.9% were female, and the median BMI was 33.9 kg/m2. Stenosis was most common in the transverse-sigmoid sinus junction (72.7%). After stenting, MFV increased in all patients (left MCA: mean +6.73 [SD 10.45] cm/sec, p = 0.029; right MCA: mean +7.44 [SD 10.61] cm/sec, p = 0.021). PI decreased in most patients (left MCA: mean -0.058 [SD 0.101], p = 0.053; right MCA: mean -0.071 [SD 0.169], p = 0.109) but without statistical significance. The quantitative angiography analysis demonstrated variable mean TTP changes, with reductions in the ICA (-0.32 seconds, p = 0.178) and ACA (-0.48 seconds, p = 0.197), and a slight change in the MCA (+0.21 seconds, p = 0.666). Limitations of the study included patient-specific physiology and procedural factors, including region-of-interest measurements, bone overlay, and potential interference from TCD probes.

Consistent patterns of MFV increase after VSS, suggesting that TCD may be a robust modality for real-time assessment of arterial inflow hemodynamics in VIH. In contrast, the quantitative angiography analysis revealed heterogeneous arterial transit changes, potentially limited by sensitivity to imaging conditions. These findings support the potential complementary use of TCD and quantitative angiography for physiological monitoring in venous outflow disorders, favoring TCD as the more reliable modality. Both methods are promising, low-risk clinical tools for prospective studies seeking to refine patient selection strategies in VSS.