Correlation between diffuse correlation spectroscopy and transcranial Doppler ultrasound in pediatric sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease causes alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and a high risk of stroke. Monitoring CBF in these patients may provide valuable information about neurovascular compromise. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) is a promising approach for non-invasively estimating an index of regional CBF; however, foundational studies are needed to validate DCS against clinical standards for estimating CBF in this clinical population. Here, we demonstrate that DCS significantly correlates with transcranial Doppler ultrasound-measured blood flow velocity in the anterior cerebral artery in 16 children with sickle cell disease (r = 0.82, p < 0.001). Correction for the influence of hematocrit on BFI did not significantly change this correction.