Hemodynamic profile of cerebral arteries using transcranial Doppler in children with sickle cell disease compared to children without sickle cell disease: Prospective analytical study.

Background: Cerebral vasculopathy is a frequent and serious complication of major sickle cell disease syndromes. Transcerebral Doppler (TCD) can detect stenosis of the main arteries at the base of the skull before stroke occurs, and initiate therapy to avoid complications. The objective of the study is to evaluate and compare the hemodynamic profile of the middle cerebral artery using TCD in children with sickle cell disease compared to children without sickle cell disease.

Method: Prospective analytical study extended over a 6-month period from July 04, 2023 to December 28, 2023. The study population consisted of subjects followed for homozygous sickle cell disease SS and non-sickle cell subjects received at the above-mentioned centers, of all sexes, aged 2 to 16 years at most.

Results: We recruited 182 children (52.2% male and 47.8% female) divided into 70 children with sickle cell disease and 112 children without sickle cell disease. The mean of Maximum systolic velocity (MSV) on the left was 85.0 ± 49.5 cm/s in sickle cell patients and 84.5 ± 17.8 cm/s in non-sickle cell patients. The mean of telediastolic velocity (TDV) was 40.9 ± 31.2 cm/s in sickle cell patients and 44.0 ± 15.8 cm/s in non-sickle cell patients. The mean maximum velocity (MMV) was 53.22 ± 39.0 cm/s in sickle cell patients and 57.5 ± 16.3 cm/s in non-sickle cell patients.

Conclusion: The mean velocity of children with sickle cell disease was lower than that of non-sickle cell patients, and the peak systolic velocity of children with sickle cell disease was slightly higher than those of children without sickle cell disease.