Time course of cerebral blood flow velocity in central nervous system infections. A transcranial Doppler sonography study
H. P. Haring, H. K. Rotzer, H. Reindl, K. Berek, A. Kampfl, B. Pfausler and E. Schmutzhard
Department of Neurology, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria.
In a 3-year period, 110 patients with central nervous system infections of
various causes were examined serially by means of transcranial Doppler
sonography. In viral-induced infections, no changes of flow velocity in
basal cerebral arteries were seen, whereas in bacterial meningitis, a
significant increase of blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery
was recorded. Its extent was mainly associated with the type of the
infectious agent, most frequently observed in pneumococcal meningitis
(77%). The increase was up to 100% of the baseline values and was
reversible in all cases. All patients were offered full-scale
neurointensive care, and all subjects with bacterial meningitis were fully
heparinized.
