Current opinion and use of transcranial doppler ultrasonography in traumatic brain injury in the pediatric intensive care unit

The purpose of this study was to identify and review clinical studies using transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We identified 16 articles from January 2005 to July 2015 that met inclusion (TBI, five or more cases in case series, subjects <18 years old, TCD performed in PICU) and exclusion criteria (age not stated, data from subjects <18 years not separated from adult data, <85% study population <18 years in mixed population with adults). TCD parameters were used to assess autoregulation, intracranial pressure, and vasospasm, and to predict neurological outcome. Incidence of impaired autoregulation varied in severe TBI from 25% to 80%. Altered TCD flows and pulsatility index variably predicted intracranial hypertension across studies. Sonographic vasospasm in the middle cerebral artery occurred in 34% of 69 children with severe TBI. Outcomes seem to be related to altered TCD-derived flow velocities while in the ICU. TCD may be a useful tool to assess autoregulation, intracranial pressure, and vasospasm following TBI in the PICU. Further research is needed to establish gold standards and validate the findings in children. TCD may then impact day-to-day management in the PICU, and potentially improve outcomes in children with severe TBI.