engleski

Transcranial doppler measuring in aphasia patients

Cerebral haemodynamic changes are considered to play an important role in etiology of aphasia. The exact changes in cerebrovascular haemodynamics causing the aphasia with stroke are still unknown. Clinical neurological examination and brain CT scan evaluated the patients. Duplex ultrasound imaging of extracranial and intracranial blood vessels was performed in each patient. We measured cerebral blood flow velocity in first 7 days after the onset and after 3 months. Speech deficit characterisation was performed by speech-language pathologist determined protocol. We used Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination tests. 20 patients with ischemic lesion of the brain were observed, with neurological deficit and communication disorders. We measured blood flow velocities of the cerebral basal arteries by transcranial doppler and compared them with brain CT scan findings. 12 patients with global aphasia, 4 patients with Broca’ s aphasia and 4 with Wernicke’ s aphasia had changes in mean blood flow velocities of a. cerebri media. The greatest improvement of the communication function generally occurs in the first 3 months after the onset. Frequency of aphasia was shove to decrease from 24% of patients within the first 7 days after the onset to 12% after 3 months. It depends on the age of patient, education level, handness, postonset time stimulability and patients support network. However, the initial severity of the aphasia is one of the most relevant clinical predictors of the outcome of aphasia.

aphasia; transcranial doppler; computerised tomography

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