Doppler ultrasound cannot diagnose cerebral clots:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Doppler ultrasound cannot be used to rule out a diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis, although it is useful for monitoring patients with the condition, says Dr Jose Valdueza of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Together with colleagues, Dr Valdueza used serial transcranial Doppler ultrasound to examine 18 patients diagnosed with cerebral venous thrombosis. With treatment, the high peak blood flow velocities that indicate disease severity decreased, the researchers found. But the technique cannot replace angiography or MRI for diagnosis, they report in Archives of Neurology (February).