gms | German Medical Science

67th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)
Joint Meeting with the Korean Neurosurgical Society (KNS)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

12 - 15 June 2016, Frankfurt am Main

Analysis of the brain pulse for bedside detection of posthemorrhagic vasospasm

Meeting Abstract

  • Axel Neulen - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Germany
  • Rene Bernard Moringlane - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Germany
  • Maximilian Stein - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Germany
  • Andreas Kramer - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Germany
  • Tim Poepping - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Germany
  • Alf Giese - Neurochirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsmedizin Mainz, Germany

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 67. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 1. Joint Meeting mit der Koreanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (KNS). Frankfurt am Main, 12.-15.06.2016. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2016. DocMI.11.04

doi: 10.3205/16dgnc293, urn:nbn:de:0183-16dgnc2933

Published: June 8, 2016

© 2016 Neulen et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Outline

Text

Objective: The Nautilus BrainPulseTM System (JanMedical, Mountain View, CA, USA) uses a novel technique based on passive sonar technology for bedside measurement of the brain pulse, i. e. brain oscillations caused by blood flow, which show characteristic changes after concussion injury (Clin J Sport Med. 2015:126-32). Asymmetric patterns of the brain-pulse are also thought to occur during vasospasm. The aim of the present study was to estimate the potential of the method for detection of severe vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Method: SAH patients at risk of posthemorrhagic vasospasm obtained examinations with the Nautilus Neurowave system in the context of a prospective clinical study. Brain pulse patterns were subsequently evaluated as symmetric or asymmetric by an independent investigator.

Results: Of 35 included patients data from 6 SAH patients with vasospasm-induced cerebral perfusion deficits in perfusion CT imaging were evaluated, who had obtained an examination with the Nautilus Neurowave system within 24 hours to perfusion CT. 1 patient had diffuse vasospasms, 1 basilar vasospasm, the others had unilateral vasospasms of the MCA, associated with vasospasms of both ACA in 2 cases. In 3 patients (basilar vasospasm, 2 cases with MCA vasospasm) the evaluation showed severe asymmetric brain pulse patterns.

Conclusions: The present series demonstrates that this new diagnostic method has the potential to detect changes of the brain pulse associated with cerebral perfusion deficits induced by posthemorrhagic vasospasm. Further research is warranted to improve the evaluation of brain pulse patterns, since characteristic patterns for clinically relevant conditions like hemorrhage, ischemia, and vasospasm may exist.