Application of brain ultrasonography in neurocritical care

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a traditional technique for assessing cerebral hemodynamics. Transcranial color-coded Doppler (TCCD) builds upon the foundation of TCD by providing more detailed hemodynamic information and visualizing cerebral anatomical structures. As a rapid, noninvasive bedside examination method, TCD/TCCD is used in the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of various neurocritical conditions. For this narrative review, we selected clinical studies, meta-analyses, and guidelines describing the application of TCD/TCCD in neurocritical care. This review summarizes the application of TCD/TCCD in the evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of conditions such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, acute ischemic stroke, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy following cardiac arrest, and brain death in the neurocritical care setting, providing evidence for its effectiveness in assisting clinical management. TCD/TCCD serves as an important tool for assessing cerebral vasospasm and brain death in critically ill patients. However, further validation is needed for its clinical application in areas such as sonothrombolysis and cerebral autoregulation.