Third Ventricle Echographic Study for Neuro-intensive Care Unit Patients

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography is usually used in the evaluation and management of patients with brain injury. This noninvasive method measures local blood flow velocity and direction in the proximal portions of large intracranial arteries. The operator requires a short training and experience to perform. The third ventricle diameter measurement by transcranial duplex flow sonography was performed in healthy volunteers . This studies show similar results in those obtained with the MRI or Computer Tomography (CT). Currently the third ventricle diameter measurements by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was not validated for neuro-intensive care unit patients. The investigators propose to used recent ultrasound system to validate the third ventricle diameter measurements in comparison with the standard method (CT).

Detailed Description
-----------------
Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography is usually used in the evaluation and management of patients with brain injury. This noninvasive method measures local blood flow velocity and direction in the proximal portions of large intracranial arteries. The operator requires a short training and experience to perform. The third ventricle diameter measurement by transcranial duplex flow sonography was performed in healthy volunteers . This studies show similar results in those obtained with the MRI or Computer Tomography (CT). Currently the third ventricle diameter measurements by transcranial Doppler

Official Title
-----------------
Third Ventricle Echographic Study for Neuro-intensive Care Unit Patients

Conditions
-----------------
Neuro-intensive Care Unit Patients, Brain Injuries

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Device: Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography measurements


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Adult, > or equal to 18-yr Admission to neuro-intensive care unit with brain injury Evaluation by Computer Tomography Indication for Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography Exclusion Criteria: Opposition to participate by the patient or a next of kin

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 100 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
No

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Device: Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography measurements|Third ventricle diameter measurements with standard method (CT) and Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography|

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Third ventricle diameter (average +/- standard deviation) | Spearman's test measuring the correlation coefficient between the third ventricle diameter measured by the expert using the ultrasonography and the third ventricle diameter measured by CT scan. | Through study completion (30 months) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residents' learning curve | The learning curve will be determined by the change in the third ventricle diameter's difference obtained by the expert and the resident, divided by the diameter obtained by the expert reported on the Y-axis and the number of measures done by the resident reported on the X-axis. Number of measures to be done will be determined when the curve reached the zero. | 24 months | 

 Terms related to the study
=================
Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
-----------------
Neuro-ICU, Third ventricle, Computer Tomography, Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography