Intracranial vascular pulsations in pediatric neurosonology.

Movement produced by the circle of Willis arteries, the anterior cerebral artery and the opercular or Sylvian branches of the middle cerebral artery can be identified with high-resolution real-time ultrasound systems. Focal or universal depression of these vascular pulsations indicates an abnormality in intracranial blood flow. Haziness of the parenchymal edges with increased echogenicity of the brain substance is occasionally associated with these vascular pulsation disturbances and generally indicates more severe parenchymal damage. An evaluation of the intracranial arterial pulsations is an important part of the real-time ultrasound examination of the brain of the infant.