[Diagnostic contribution of ultrasonic diagnosis coupled with pulsed Doppler combined with continuous Doppler to the exploration of the vertebral arteries of atherosclerotic patients. Preliminary report].

Velocimetric exploration by continuous emission Doppler is still essential for non-invasive evaluation of vertebral circulation but it does not provide morphologic data. Results were compared of exploration with combined continuous emission Doppler and a Duplex examination (sectorial scanning ultrasound imaging coupled with pulsed emission Doppler) and data from arteriography of 186 vertebral arteries in patients, mean age 57 years, admitted for exploration of a cerebral ischemic accident or a cervical murmur. The Duplex examination allowed identification of proximal segment (VI) in 98% of permeable vertebral arteries. The ostium of the vertebral artery was more difficult to visualize because of possible tortuosities, of sometimes a too posterior or intrathoracic localization or of a short neck. Nevertheless the vertebral ostium was identified in 78% of cases on the right and 48% on the left. The Duplex examination demonstrated sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 98% for detection of proximal stenosis of vertebral artery, and its sensitivity was therefore twice as sensitive as continuous emission Doppler for detection of stenoses of less than 50%. The Duplex examination should complete data from continuous emission Doppler by providing an evaluation of vertebral artery diameter and information on presence and characters of an elongation or stenosis. In this way, 9 atheromatous plaques not identified on arteriography were detected by ultrasound imaging. Similarly, the Duplex examination is particularly useful for identification of a hypoplastic vertebral artery, to distinguish the specific lesions of the subclavian artery from those extending onto vertebral ostium, and to characterize ostial lesions when these are accessible to examination.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)