Table 1.
Comparison of three frequently used European national guidelines for determination CCA with CTA during BD/DNC diagnosis procedures.
| Polish (2020 *) | French (2011 *) | German (2015 *) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended delay after appearance of clinical signs of BD/DNC (h) |
6 | 6 ** | not specified |
| 1. Non-contrast scanning used as a reference | |||
| 2. Early post-contrast scanning | |||
| Contrast volume (mL) | 80 | 2 mL/kg (max 120) | 65 |
| Scanning time | triggered by bolus-tracking in extracranial carotid arteries | 20 s after start of contrast injection |
not performed |
| Assessed vessel | |||
| STA (bilaterally) *** | 2 | 2 | not performed |
| 3. Late post-contrast scanning | |||
| Scanning time | 40 s after start of early post-contrast scanning | 60 s after start of contrast injection |
15 s after filling of extracranial carotid arteries detected with bolus-tracking |
| Evaluation scale | 4-point | 4-point | 7-point late arterial |
| Assessed vessel | |||
| STA (bilaterally) *** | 2 | ||
| MCA-M1 (bilaterally) | 2 | ||
| ACA-A1 (bilaterally) | 2 | ||
| BA | 1 | ||
| PCA-P1 (bilaterally) | 2 | ||
| MCA-M4 (bilaterally) | 2 | 2 | |
| ICV (bilaterally) | 2 | 2 | |
| Delay to next exam if the previous was inconclusive (h) | 12 | not specified | not specified |
Notes: BD—brain death; STA—superficial temporal artery; ACA—anterior cerebral artery; A1—1st division of ACA; MCA—middle cerebral artery; M1—1st division of MCA; M4—4th division of MCA; PCA—posterior cerebral artery; P1—1st division of PCA; BA—basilar artery; ICV—internal cerebral vein. * year of implementation. ** time delay of 6 h can be shortened by performing transcranial Doppler ultrasound. *** assessment of filling of extracranial arteries like STA serves as a control of effective contrast administration to the head.