Functional Ultrasound Imaging of Auditory Responses in Comatose Patients
Bedside monitoring of brain function in severely brain-injured patients remains a critical clinical challenge. We demonstrate the translational potential of functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging for this purpose. In 6 comatose patients (Glasgow coma scale ≤ 8) with cranial windows after decompressive...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Research |
| Online Access: | https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0709 |
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| Summary: | Bedside monitoring of brain function in severely brain-injured patients remains a critical clinical challenge. We demonstrate the translational potential of functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging for this purpose. In 6 comatose patients (Glasgow coma scale ≤ 8) with cranial windows after decompressive craniectomy, we used a 7.8-MHz transducer optimized for cortical depths of 1.5 to 4 cm to perform real-time fUS during auditory stimulation. We observed task-related increases in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in relevant brain regions (P < 0.001, t test), which correlated with subsequent neurological recovery at 9-month follow-up. These findings establish fUS as a sensitive and portable tool for bedside brain function assessment, offering potential for improved prognostication, treatment guidance, and development of targeted rehabilitative strategies. |
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| ISSN: | 2639-5274 |