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Radiology

The Middle Cerebral Artery Doppler

Built from Obstetric Imaging

What’s inside

11 sections · 107 slides

  1. 01

    Overview

    • Scope of this presentation
    • Terms used throughout
    • Two clinical applications of the test

    3 slides

  2. 02

    Normal fetal cerebral blood flow velocity waveforms

    What the trace looks like when nothing is wrong

    • Early Doppler studies of the fetal cerebral circulation
    • Vessel-specific differences in Doppler indices
    • Scanning plane for the fetal circle of Willis
    • Middle cerebral artery waveforms across gestation
    • Change in pulsatility index with gestational age
    • Pulsatility index curve across gestation
    • Brain growth spurts and the shape of the curve
    • Pulsatility index before and after birth
    • Reasons the middle cerebral artery is the vessel of choice
    • Effect of colour Doppler on the examination
    • Reference values for the pulsatility index
    • Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index (PI) Normal Values in Pregnancy
    • Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index (PI) Normal Values in Pregnancy (continued)
    • Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index (PI) Normal Values in Pregnancy (continued)
    • Equation behind the reference range

    15 slides

  3. 03

    Middle cerebral artery Doppler and fetal anemia

    How a needle test was replaced by a probe on the abdomen

    • Amniotic fluid delta OD450 before Doppler
    • First attempts at intrauterine transfusion
    • Fetoscopy and percutaneous cord sampling
    • Effect of peak systolic velocity on practice

    4 slides

  4. 04

    Peak systolic velocity and the diagnosis of fetal anemia

    The studies that built the 1.5 multiples of the median rule

    • From pulsatility index to peak systolic velocity
    • Mechanism of the velocity rise in anemia
    • Velocity reference range with anemic fetuses plotted
    • The 1995 reference range study
    • Velocity after intrauterine transfusion
    • Velocity against fetal hemoglobin
    • Shape of the velocity-hemoglobin relationship
    • Reference range for fetal hemoglobin
    • Unnecessary cordocenteses under the older criteria
    • Performance of the 1.5 multiples of the median threshold
    • Serial velocity for timing cordocentesis
    • Prediction of fetal hemoglobin from velocity
    • Velocity compared with delta OD450
    • The Diamond multicentre comparison
    • Guideline recognition of the technique
    • Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine thresholds

    16 slides

  5. 05

    Causes of fetal anemia followed with Doppler

    Beyond red cell alloimmunization

    • Most frequent causes beyond alloimmunization
    • Reading the list of anemia causes
    • Other Conditions Resulting in Fetal Anemia
    • Other Conditions Resulting in Fetal Anemia (continued)

    4 slides

  6. 06

    Technique and surveillance intervals

    Getting a number you can act on, and how often to repeat it

    • Steps for sampling the middle cerebral artery
    • Sampling the middle cerebral artery step by step
    • Sample volume at the origin of the middle cerebral artery
    • Which middle cerebral artery to sample
    • Angle correction and observer variability
    • Interval between studies in red cell alloimmunization
    • Velocity slopes by severity of fetal anemia
    • Reading the velocity trend lines
    • Surveillance in parvovirus B19 infection
    • Spontaneous resolution of parvovirus anemia
    • Peak systolic velocity in cytomegalovirus infection
    • Hydrops and the decision to sample fetal blood
    • Monochorionic twins and twin anemia-polycythemia sequence
    • Scan schedule in monochorionic-diamniotic twins
    • Conditions followed with serial velocity measurements

    15 slides

  7. 07

    Middle cerebral artery Doppler and fetal growth restriction

    From birth weight charts to a brain-flow measurement

    • Origins of the growth restriction concept
    • Estimating fetal weight and birth weight percentiles
    • Population curves versus individualized growth curves
    • Definition of fetal growth restriction
    • Disagreement between societies on the role of the test

    5 slides

  8. 08

    Middle cerebral artery indices in growth restriction

    Pulsatility index, ratios, and what each one adds

    • Pulsatility index and resistance index
    • Effect of fetal heart rate on the pulsatility index
    • Brain-sparing effect in fetal growth restriction
    • Sequence of the brain-sparing response
    • Middle cerebral artery waveforms in severe growth restriction
    • Normalization of the pulsatility index as an ominous sign
    • Limits of the pulsatility index in practice
    • Cerebroplacental ratio
    • Threshold disagreement for the cerebroplacental ratio
    • Umbilicocerebral ratio
    • Comparison of the two ratios
    • Trial of the umbilicocerebral ratio
    • Pulsatility index versus peak systolic velocity in growth restriction

    13 slides

  9. 09

    Pathophysiology of peak systolic velocity elevation

    The same high number, two different reasons

    • Design of the Hanif study
    • Findings in fetuses at risk for anemia
    • Velocity correlations in anemic fetuses
    • Velocity against hemoglobin in anemic fetuses
    • Findings in growth-restricted fetuses
    • Velocity correlations in growth-restricted fetuses
    • Velocity against hemoglobin in growth restriction
    • Two mechanisms behind one abnormal number

    8 slides

  10. 10

    Waveform patterns and clinical application

    Reversed flow, lost brain-sparing, and what the authors actually do

    • Reversed end-diastolic flow in the middle cerebral artery
    • Reversal of the brain-sparing effect
    • Outcomes reported after loss of brain-sparing
    • Sequence of Doppler change in late growth restriction
    • Abnormal cerebral index with a normal umbilical artery
    • Adverse outcome after 32 weeks' gestation
    • Authors' surveillance protocol for the small fetus
    • Role of each vessel in timing delivery

    8 slides

  11. 11

    Summary

    What to carry away

    • Key points on fetal anemia
    • Key points on fetal growth restriction
    • Key points on technique
    • References
    • References (continued)
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    • References (continued)
    • Obstetric Imaging: Fetal Diagnosis and Care, 2nd Edition

    16 slides