Journal article
Brain death: Radiologic signs of a non-radiologic diagnosis
Clinical neurology and neurosurgery, Vol.185, pp.105465-105465
10/2019
DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2019.105465
PMID: 31472395
Abstract
•Brain death is a clinical diagnosis characterized by irreversible loss of neurologic function with global brain injury.•While it is a clinical diagnosis, practice patterns vary widely and ancillary testing, including imaging, is widely used.•Ancillary tests for brain death can evaluate brain function, such as EEG, or evaluate blood flow, such as with imaging.•Imaging shows non-opacification of intracranial vasculature with indirect signs including cerebral edema and herniation.
Brain death is a clinical diagnosis characterized by the irreversible loss of neurologic function caused by global injury to the brain, including the brain stem. This is often caused by trauma and subarachnoid hemorrhage amongst other etiologies. This injury results in extensive cerebral edema, a rise in intracranial pressure, and eventual cessation of cerebral blood flow. Although brain death is a clinical diagnosis, ancillary and confirmatory tests are widely used. These are categorized into imaging that demonstrates absence of cerebral blood flow and electroencephalography that demonstrates absence of cortical electrical activity. Cerebral angiography, transcranial Doppler, and cerebral scintigraphy are the only imaging studies to have been validated by the American Academy of Neurology for diagnosis of brain death. However, characteristic findings on computed tomography, computed tomography perfusion, computed tomography angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance angiography may suggest the diagnosis. In this article, the clinical criteria, pathophysiology, pathology, and variations in current practice of brain death diagnosis are discussed, and the imaging findings of brain death are reviewed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Brain death: Radiologic signs of a non-radiologic diagnosis
- Creators
- Joseph Gastala - Northwestern UniversityDeema Fattal - University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsPatricia A. Kirby - University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsAristides A. Capizzano - University of Michigan–Ann ArborYutaka Sato - University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicsToshio Moritani - University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Clinical neurology and neurosurgery, Vol.185, pp.105465-105465
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.clineuro.2019.105465
- PMID
- 31472395
- ISSN
- 0303-8467
- eISSN
- 1872-6968
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 10/2019
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Radiology; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Pathology; Otolaryngology
- Record Identifier
- 9984303020102771
Metrics
26 Record Views