Color Doppler ultrasonography for predicting the patency of anastomosis after superficial temporal to middle cerebral artery bypass surgery

Background Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) is used to evaluate the surgical success and postoperative hemodynamic changes of patients who receive superficial temporal to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass surgery. Previous studies enrolled small populations, and difficulties interpreting the results have limited their use in clinical settings. Objective We attempted to determine the feasibility of using CDUS to evaluate STA hemodynamics and identify the most reliable parameter as a new clinical implication for determining bypass patency. Method Twenty-six patients who underwent STA-MCA bypass surgery were prospectively enrolled. Four times CDUS and two times digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were performed. The CDUS parameters were compensated using the ratio of the operated to the non-operated sides (R1) and compared before and after surgery (R2). The CDUS parameters are then compared with the patency on DSA by statistical analyses. Results Increased CDUS parameters of the mean flow rate (MFR) and cross-sectional diameter (CSD) showed significant correlations with good patency on DSA. The R2 at 1 month was identified as the most reliable parameter for predicting the patency in both MFR and CSD. Their cutoff values were 1.475 and 1.15, respectively. Conclusion CDUS can be utilized for predicting the patency after STA-MCA bypass surgery; if the postoperative (compensated and compared) CDUS parameters increased by more than 47.5% in the MFR or 15% in the CSD, the patency of the anastomosis on DSA would be good.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the feasibility of using CDUS to evaluate hemodynamic changes after STA-MCA bypass surgery, with the key parameters being mean flow rate and cross-sectional diameter. The postoperative changes in CDUS parameters at 1 month can predict the patency of the anastomosis.