TCD is a form of ultrasound allows us to monitor blood flow in the major cranial blood vessels.
This service has been in operation for over 20 years. It is used in two groups of patients
- those who have experienced a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), a bleed in the brain
- patients aged between 2 and 16 years and who have sickle cell disease.
Patients who have had a (SAH) are at risk of developing vasospasm, narrowing of the cranial arteries, following their bleed. If present these patients are at risk of stroke unless therapy is started.
TCD provides a non-invasive means of detecting vasospasm at the patient’s bedside.
It is also used in the monitoring of children with sickle cell disease. In this group of patients the red blood cells have a sickle shape which irritate the vessel walls and can lead to vascular occlusion.
TCD helps to pick up early narrowing of the blood vessel walls. If there is a risk of stroke the child will undergo a blood transfusion to replace the misshapen cells and prevent irritation to vessel walls.
