engleski

Three dimensional utrasound of the vertebrobasilar system

Background: Transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) and power Doppler imaging (PDI) are used for the evaluation of the vertebrobasilar (VB) system. Due to the unfavorable angle of the vertebral arteries’ (VA) junction and angle of insonation, all three vessels can rarely be visualized at the same time. Three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) enables volumetric reconstruction of the VB junction.Methods: 2D TCCS and PD as well as 3D US were applied in 25 patients in order to visualize the intracranial part of the VB system.Results: In TCCS mode it was not possible to obtain all three vessels at the same time, in PD mode it was possible in 6/25 patients, and in 3D PD method in 19/25 patients. In 6 patients the VB angle could not be visualized (2 VAs were occluded – confirmed by angiography, in 4 cases there was a suboptimal suboccipital window), and volumetric reconstruction was applied.Conclusion: 3D US enabled better visualization of the VB junction due to the possibility of volumetric reconstructions

Ultrasound; three dimensional ultrasound; vertebral arteries

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