[The importance of transcranial Doppler (TDC) in the assessment of cerebrovascular hemodynamics of the acute phase of ischemic stroke].

Most recent studies on transcranial Doppler (TCD) in the acute phase of ischemic stroke are reviewed in this paper. TCD is a highly sensitive and specific method of quick, bedside assessment of cerebrovascular circulation hemodynamics in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. The following issues are discussed in the paper: a new classification of ultrasound pathological changes associated with intracranial arteries occlusion or stenosis, the frequency of spontaneous re-canalisation by TCD, a comparison of TCD results with findings obtained by means of other vascular imaging techniques (e.g. DSA, CTA and MRA), relationship between TCD baseline assessment of primary blood flow changes and thrombolysis efficacy (the so-called TIBI classification, Thrombolysis in Brain Ischemia), and prognostic significance of TCD in the acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, first clinical reports on an additive effect of TCD on thrombolytic therapy are presented. The main limitations of TCD include the lack of sufficient bone window in 5-15% of patients and the lack of sufficiently trained staff capable of performing the examination a 24 h duty, since results of the examination to a large degree depend on the examiner's skills.