Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Apr;21(4):380-5.
doi: 10.1177/0961203311428458. Epub 2011 Nov 29.

Middle cerebral artery resistivity and pulsatility indices in systemic lupus erythematosus: evidence for hyperperfusion

E R Greene  1 , K A Yonan, J M Sharrar, W L Sibbitt Jr, C A Roldan
Affiliations

Middle cerebral artery resistivity and pulsatility indices in systemic lupus erythematosus: evidence for hyperperfusion

E R Greene et al. Lupus. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with significant cerebrovascular and neuropsychiatric disease for which multiple pathogeneses have been proposed. Although global cerebral hypoperfusion has been proposed, there are limited data about intracerebral arterial hemodynamics. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) allows portable, high temporal and spatial resolution, noninvasive blood velocity measurements in the middle cerebral arteries, and calculations of standard resistivity (RI) and pulsatility (PI) indices. RI and PI correlate with cerebral hemispheric arteriolar tone, blood flow resistances, and impedances. Accordingly, we hypothesized that there would be significant differences (p < 0.05) in RI and PI between SLE patients and healthy, age and gender matched controls.

Methods: TCD was used to measure RI and PI bilaterally on 34 stable SLE patients (35 ± 11 years) and 15 control subjects (34 ± 10 years). Patients and controls had similar, normal blood pressures and were examined in the supine position during normal, resting respiration. RI and PI were determined by a blinded, experienced observer.

Results: There were no significant differences in RI and PI bilaterally within each cohort. However, SLE patients had significantly lower average RI and PI values compared with controls: 0.45 ± 0.10 versus 0.52 ± 0.05 (p < 0.05); and 0.65 ± 0.19 versus 0.77 ± 0.12, (p < 0.05); respectively.

Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that RI and PI values in the human middle cerebral artery are significantly lower in SLE compared with controls. These indices indicate that middle cerebral arterial resistances and impedances are decreased in SLE. Under normotensive conditions, the results are consistent with hyperperfusion in SLE with increased arteriolar dilation and increased cerebral blood flow.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Resistivity (RI) and pulsatility (PI) indices: means/SD in SLE and controls (CON). *p<0.05 versus control.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rhiannon JJ. Systemic lupus erythematosus involving the nervous system: presentation, pathogenesis, and management. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2008;43:56–60. - PubMed
    1. Jennekens FG, Kater L. The central nervous system in systemic lupus erythematosus. Part 1. Clinical syndromes: a literature investigation. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2002;16:605–618. - PubMed
    1. Postiglione A, De Chiara S, Soricelli A, et al. Alterations of cerebral blood flow and antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Int J Clin Lab Res. 1998;83:34–38. - PubMed
    1. Roman MJ, Shanker BA, Davis A, et al. Prevalence and correlates of accelerated atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med. 2003;492:2399–2406. - PubMed
    1. Svenungsson E, Jensen-Urstad K, Heimburger M, et al. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in systemic lupus erythematosus. Circulation. 2001;41:1887–1893. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms