Comprehensive Ultrasound Assessment of the Craniocervical Circulation in Transient Global Amnesia

Objectives Structural changes and metabolic stress have been reported on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the cornu ammonis 1 area of the hippocampus in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA), but a consensus on pathogenesis is still lacking. The aim of our study was to perform a comprehensive ultrasound analysis of the cerebrovascular circulation in our population of patients with TGA. Methods One hundred patients with TGA and 50 age- and sex-matched control participants underwent ultrasound examinations of the cervicocranial circulation. Results The most significant risk factor for TGA was arterial hypertension (P .05). Rarely detected microembolic signals or a right-left cardiopulmonary shunt excluded an emboligenic mechanism of TGA (P > .05). The internal jugular vein valves were incompetent in 54% of patients with TGA, and this condition was associated with an increased risk of TGA (odds ratio, 4.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.91–9.04). The mean values of the breath holding index and pulsatility index, as parameters of small-vessel function, were within normal ranges and without differences between the TGA and control groups (P > .05). Conclusions Our ultrasound examination did not detect significant structural atherosclerotic changes of cervicocranial arteries, and an emboligenic mechanism was excluded. Only a significant rise of blood pressure in TGA and significant valvular insufficiency of the internal jugular vein were established. New research should clarify whether these simultaneous functional circulatory changes have relevance for metabolic stress in the cornu ammonis of the hippocampus

Comprehensive Ultrasound Assessment of the Craniocervical Circulation in Transient Global Amnesia

Objectives Structural changes and metabolic stress have been reported on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in the cornu ammonis 1 area of the hippocampus in patients with transient global amnesia (TGA), but a consensus on pathogenesis is still lacking. The aim of our study was to perform a comprehensive ultrasound analysis of the cerebrovascular circulation in our population of patients with TGA. Methods One hundred patients with TGA and 50 age- and sex-matched control participants underwent ultrasound examinations of the cervicocranial circulation. Results The most significant risk factor for TGA was arterial hypertension (P .05). Rarely detected microembolic signals or a right-left cardiopulmonary shunt excluded an emboligenic mechanism of TGA (P > .05). The internal jugular vein valves were incompetent in 54% of patients with TGA, and this condition was associated with an increased risk of TGA (odds ratio, 4.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.91–9.04). The mean values of the breath holding index and pulsatility index, as parameters of small-vessel function, were within normal ranges and without differences between the TGA and control groups (P > .05). Conclusions Our ultrasound examination did not detect significant structural atherosclerotic changes of cervicocranial arteries, and an emboligenic mechanism was excluded. Only a significant rise of blood pressure in TGA and significant valvular insufficiency of the internal jugular vein were established. New research should clarify whether these simultaneous functional circulatory changes have relevance for metabolic stress in the cornu ammonis of the hippocampus