Doppler colour flow mapping of fetal intracerebral arteries in the presence of central nervous system anomalies.

The adjunctive role of Doppler colour flow mapping in the evaluation of intracerebral morphology and arterial blood flow in the presence of normal and abnormal central nervous system morphology was determined. A total of 59 fetuses with suspected central nervous system pathology between 14 and 37 weeks of gestation was studied (median 31 weeks). One hundred and one fetuses with normal central nervous system anatomy between 14 and 37 weeks (median 19 weeks) served as controls. Visualisation of blood flow in one or more intracerebral arterial vessels was successful in more than 80% of normal fetuses. For the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral artery, the percentages were 63%, 89% and 45%, respectively, at 14-25 weeks and 74%, 100% and 55%, respectively, at 26-37 weeks of gestation. Intracerebral arterial flow identification was attempted in 52/59 (88%) affected fetuses. Identification of blood flow in one or more intracerebral arterial vessels was successful in 40/52 (77%) fetuses. End-diastolic flow velocities were present in at least one of the intracerebral arteries in 39/40 fetuses, absent in one case of hydrocephaly and raised in the presence of an intracerebral vascular tumour. Doppler colour flow mapping seems to provide only limited additional information on intracranial structural pathology.