To evaluate intracranial pressure by transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD), the mean flow velocity (MFV) and Gosling's pulsatility index (PI) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and basilar artery (BA) were measured before and after glycerol administration, and also regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was investigated simultaneously. Ten patients with brain tumors and 5 normal volunteers were selected. After glycerol administration in the patient group, MFV and rCBF showed a significant increase of more than 27% and 16% respectively, in the hemispheres ipsilateral and contralateral to the tumor (p<0.05), compared with the corresponding values in the control group. Inversely, the mean PI decreased to 16% on both sides. Moreover, changes in MFV and PI in addition to those induced by glycerol were closely correlated with those of rCBF in all patients. In conclusion, these results suggest that changes in MFV and PI revealed by TCD under glycerol administration might predict intracranial pressure, especially in patients with intracranial hypertension.
