Kinkunda, P. L., Nkodila, A. N., Mutamba, J. K., et al. Hemodynamic profile of cerebral arteries using transcranial Doppler in children with sickle cell disease compared to children without sickle cell disease: Prospective analytical study. BMC Pediatrics, 25(1), 246. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-025-05610-y
A common complication of sickle cell disease is Cerebral vasculopathy, a disease that causes inflammation, or swelling, of blood vessels in the brain and/or spinal cord. This can cause a stroke.
Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a test used to detect abnormalities in the blood vessels of the brain, and can be used to form a hemodynamic profile.
A hemodynamic profile is a set of measurements used to describe a patient’s cardiovascular status, which includes things like blood flow, blood pressure, and heart rate. The Saint Crispin “Anémique SS” Hospital (C.H.C) and at the “Cliniques Du Coeur ONGD” (LCC) center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo used data collected over six months to compare the hemodynamic profiles of children with sickle cell anemia (SS) to non-carrier children without sickle cell disease (AA), ranging from ages 2-16.
The children with SS had lower Hemoglobin (Hb) and Hematocrit levels in their blood compared to the children without sickle cell anemia. Hematocrit is the measurement of how many red blood cells someone has. Red blood cells carry Hemoglobin, which carries oxygen.
Having low Hematocrit levels (a low red blood cell count) is called anemia, hence the name Sickle cell anemia.
Researchers also found that the mean maximum velocity of children with sickle cell disease was found to be lower than those without, while the peak systolic velocity was slightly higher.
Peak systolic velocity (PSV) is the highest velocity of blood flow during a heartbeat. When using TCD, mean maximum velocity (MMV) is defined as the average speed of blood flow in certain blood vessels near the brain.
Lower mean velocity means that blood is not being cycled efficiently, and high peak systolic velocity means that blood is flowing unusually fast. These suggest a blockage or swelling in the blood vessels.
Based on this data, it can be concluded that those with SS in the study are likely beginning to show signs of Cerebral vasculopathy.
As previously stated, Cerebral vasculopathy, the inflammation of certain blood vessels, is a common complication of sickle cell.
However, as shown by this study, using TCD can help doctors catch the signs early.
