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Eur J Pediatr Surg 1991; 1: 27-29
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1042534
Original article

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The Doppler Pulsatility Index as a Screening Test for Blocked Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunts

I. K. Pople1 , M. W. Quinn2 , R.  Bayston3 , R. D. Hayward4
  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol BS16 1LE, U.K.,
  • 2University Department of Paediatrics, D Floor, Clarendon Wing, Leeds General Infirmary, Belmont Grove, Leeds LS2 9NS, U.K.
  • 3Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, U.K.
  • 4The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London, U.K.
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Publication History

Publication Date:
25 March 2008 (online)

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Abstract

Doppler ultrasound studies have demonstrated a raised Gosling pulsatility and Pourcelot resistance index in untreated hydrocephalus. The application of transcranial Doppler ultrasound to the diagnosis of blocked ventriculoperitoneal shunts was studied by comparing the Gosling pulsatility indices of 63 children with symptoms of shunt malfunction with a reference range derived from 248 asymptomatic shunted children. An abnormally raised pulsatility index predicted a blocked shunt with a sensitivity of 56 % and a specificity of 97 %. The pulsatility index correlated with intracranial pressure in patients with confirmed shunt blockage.

Key words

Transcranial Doppler - Hydrocephalus