Transpharyngeal Doppler Sonography for Cerebral Perfusion Monitoring

This prospective interventional study investigates transpharyngeal sonography (TPS) as an additional neuromonitoring strategy to assess cerebral perfusion during cardiovascular surgery. In the first part of the study the investigators will investigate the feasibility of TPS for visualization of aortic arch branches including the innominate and the carotid arteries in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. In the second part the investigators plan to adopt the investigators previous experiences on TPS to a selected population of patients undergoing ascending aortic and/or arch repair in hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA).