Color ultrasound duplex scanning of the marginal sinuses of the brain

Color duplex scanning of the marginal sinuses via the transoccipital insonation approach was performed in 80 volunteers (control group), 64 patients with cerebral concussion (CC group), and 111 patients with cervical spondylosis (group CS). The marginal sinus detection rates were significantly lower in the control group compared with CC and CS groups. Vmean of marginal sinus was significantly higher in patients with cerebral concussion than in those with cervical spondylosis, but Vmean in both groups did not significantly differ compared with the control group. Highflow Vmax > 30 cm/s was recorded in 18.6% of patients with CC and in 14.3% of cases in CS group. The authors conclude that imaging and measuring of the blood flow indicators in the marginal sinuses during routine transcranial colorcoded sonography may be useful. The rates of marginal sinus visualization are higher in patients with abnormal venous circulation regardless of the type of discirculation. The linear blood flow velocity in the marginal sinuses corresponds to the indicators in other cerebral sinuses, but the venous Doppler waveform pulsatility is more pronounced.