Cerebral blood flow in patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus before and after shunting

1987 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sissel Vorstrup ◽  
John Christensen ◽  
Flemming Gjerris ◽  
P. Soelberg Sørensen ◽  
Anne Marie Thomsen ◽  
...  

✓ Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by xenon-133 inhalation and single photon emission tomography in 17 demented patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus before and after shunt treatment. All patients had a decreased conductance to outflow (Cout) of cerebrospinal fluid as measured by lumboventricular perfusion (COut < 0.12 ml ⋅ mm Hg−1 ⋅ min−1). Computerized tomography (CT) scanning, clinical assessment, and neuropsychological grading were performed pre- and postoperatively. The preoperative CBF studies revealed abnormal flow patterns in all patients. Fourteen patients showed moderate-sized, large, or very large central low-flow areas, and four patients had reduced flow bilaterally in the occipital and contiguous temporoparietal regions. After shunting, six patients had a significant reduction in the size of the central low-flow area on the CBF map, agreeing well with the changes of ventricular size on the CT scan. All six patients showed an improvement in either clinical or neuropsychological grading. In 10 of the remaining 11 patients flow patterns were essentially unchanged; one patient deteriorated further. Four of these 11 patients improved on postoperative clinical or neuropsychological testing. Thus, a positive correlation was found between the changes in CBF and the reduction of the ventricular size on the CT scan, but changes in CBF as measured by the present technique did not accompany improvement in the functional state in all patients.

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 937-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Boarini ◽  
Neal F. Kassell ◽  
James A. Sprowell ◽  
Julie J. Olin ◽  
Hans C. Coester

✓ Profound arterial hypotension is à commonly used adjunct in surgery for aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. Hyperventilation with hypocapnia is also used in these patients to increase brain slackness. Both measures reduce cerebral blood flow (CBF). Of concern is whether CBF is reduced below ischemic thresholds when both techniques are employed together. To determine this, 12 mongrel dogs were anesthetized with morphine, nitrous oxide, and oxygen, and then paralyzed with pancuronium and hyperventilated. Arterial pCO2 was controlled by adding CO2 to the inspired gas mixture. Cerebral blood flow was measured at arterial pCO2 levels of 40 and 20 mm Hg both before and after mean arterial pressure was lowered to 40 mm Hg with adenosine enhanced by dipyridamole. In animals where PaCO2 was reduced to 20 mm Hg and mean arterial pressure was reduced to 40 mm Hg, cardiac index decreased 42% from control and total brain blood flow decreased 45% from control while the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen was unchanged. Hypocapnia with hypotension resulted in small but statistically significant reductions in all regional blood flows, most notably in the brain stem. The reported effects of hypocapnia on CBF during arterial hypotension vary depending on the hypotensive agents used. Profound hypotension induced with adenosine does not eliminate CO2 reactivity, nor does it lower blood flow to ischemic levels in this model, even in the presence of severe hypocapnia.


1975 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 689-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minoru Aoyagi ◽  
John Stirling Meyer ◽  
Vinod D. Deshmukh ◽  
Erwin O. Ott ◽  
Yukio Tagashira ◽  
...  

✓ Cerebral autoregulation and vasomotor responsiveness to carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured quantitatively by the use of the autoregulation index and chemical index, respectively, in normal baboons before and after intravertebral and intracarotid infusion of the anticholinesterase agent, neostigmine methylsulfate (Prostigmin). Continuous measurements were made of cerebral blood flow (measured as bilateral internal jugular venous outflow), arterial and cerebral venous pO2 and pCO2, cerebral arteriovenous oxygen differences, and endotracheal CO2. The effect of intravertebral infusion of neostigmine (12.5 µg/kg body weight) was compared to intracarotid infusion of neostigmine (25 µg/kg body weight) for assessment of any specific action of the drug on a hypothetical cholinergic vasomotor center, presumed to be located in the territory of the vertebrobasilar supply. No significant or persistent changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) followed either intravertebral or intracarotid infusion of neostigmine. Cerebral vascular resistance (CVR) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), however, decreased significantly after intravertebral infusion. Cerebral autoregulatory vasoconstriction during increases of CPP was significantly reduced following both intravertebral and intracarotid infusion. Cerebral autoregulatory vasodilatation was not altered as CPP was lowered. Cerebral vasodilatory reactivity to CO2 inhalation was significantly enhanced following intravertebral neostigmine but not following intracarotid neostigmine. Cerebral vasoconstrictive response to hyperventilation was not influenced by neostigmine. These results support the view that central cholinergic cerebrovascular influences exist, and are vasodilatory in nature.


2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 1036-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ullrich Meier ◽  
Sven Mutze

Object. It is well known that in patients with communicating hydrocephalus or normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), ventricular size decreases following implantation of shunts with differential pressure valves. The aim of this study was to determine whether ventricular size correlates with a positive clinical outcome following shunt placement. Methods. Hydrostatic valves (dual-switch valves) were implanted in 80 patients with NPH at Unfallkrankenhaus, Berlin, between September 1997 and January 2002. One year postoperatively, these patients underwent computerized tomography scanning, and their ventricular size was ascertained using the Evans Index. Among 80% of the patients who showed no postoperative change in ventricular volume, 59% nonetheless had good to excellent clinical improvements, 17% satisfactory improvement, and 24% no improvement. Furthermore, a moderate reduction in ventricular size was observed in 14% of patients in this cohort. Among these, 36% experienced good to excellent clinical improvements, 28% satisfactory improvement, and 36% unsatisfactory improvement. A marked reduction in ventricular size was observed in 6% of the patients. Of this latter group, 60% demonstrated good to excellent outcomes, whereas 40% had unsatisfactory outcomes. Conclusions. Favorable outcomes following the implantation of a hydrostatic shunt in patients with NPH did not correlate with decreased ventricular volume 1 year after surgery. In fact, better clinical outcomes were observed in patients with little or no alteration in ventricular size, compared with those in patients with a marked decrease in ventricular size. A postoperative change in ventricular volume should be assessed differently in patients with NPH compared with those suffering from hypertensive hydrocephalus.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. Anderson ◽  
Jessica J. Grant ◽  
Robert de la Paz ◽  
Steven Frucht ◽  
Robert R. Goodman

Object. The syndrome of normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) refers to the clinical triad of gait disturbance, dementia, and urinary incontinence in association with idiopathic ventriculomegaly and normal intracranial pressure. Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement often yields significant clinical improvements, sometimes without apparent reduction of ventricular size. The authors hypothesized that careful volumetric measurements would show a decrease in ventricular volume in these patients. Methods. Twenty consecutive patients with NPH underwent placement of VP shunts equipped with programmable valves. In 11 patients pre- and postoperative neuroimaging was performed, which allowed volumetric analysis. Volumetric measurements of the lateral ventricles were calculated in triplicate by National Institutes of Health image-processing software to assess standard computerized tomography (CT) scans (eight patients) or magnetic resonance (MR) images (three patients) obtained before and after shunt placement. Ventricular volumes were also assessed by an independent neuroradiologist. Postoperative studies were performed at a time of clinical improvement, between 1 and 9 months postsurgery (mean 5 months). Preoperative and postoperative Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale evaluations were performed in four patients. Significant clinical improvement occurred in all patients after shunt placement (mean follow-up period 17.5 months). Although 10 (91%) of 11 patients demonstrated a calculable decrease in volume in the lateral ventricles (mean decrease 39%), formal interpretation of neuroimages indicated a definite decrease in lateral ventricular volume in only three (27%) of 11 patients. Conclusions. Volumetric measurements obtained to compare preoperative and postoperative CT or MR studies obtained in patients with NPH in whom clinical improvement was seen after shunt placement surgery show a demonstrable decrease in ventricular size. Volumetric measurements may be helpful in clinical assessment postoperatively and in guiding programmable valve pressure settings.


1984 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Vassilouthis

✓ A series of 40 patients with the syndrome of normal-pressure hydrocephalus is presented. Diagnosis was based on clinical and computerized tomography (CT) scan criteria and was followed by the insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in every instance. All patients responded favorably to treatment (four of them had a fair outcome), and this response was maintained. There was one postoperative death, but no other serious complications. This study demonstrates that it is possible to diagnose the syndrome of normal-pressure hydrocephalus on the basis of clinical and CT scan criteria without any other invasive investigations. Such patients should respond favorably to an adequately functioning shunting system.


1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif Østergaard ◽  
Fred H. Hochberg ◽  
James D. Rabinov ◽  
A. Gregory Sorensen ◽  
Michael Lev ◽  
...  

Object. In this study the authors assessed the early changes in brain tumor physiology associated with glucocorticoid administration. Glucocorticoids have a dramatic effect on symptoms in patients with brain tumors over a time scale ranging from minutes to a few hours. Previous studies have indicated that glucocorticoids may act either by decreasing cerebral blood volume (CBV) or blood-tumor barrier (BTB) permeability and thereby the degree of vasogenic edema.Methods. Using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the authors examined the acute changes in CBV, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and BTB permeability to gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid after administration of dexamethasone in six patients with brain tumors. In patients with acute decreases in BTB permeability after dexamethasone administration, changes in the degree of edema were assessed using the apparent diffusion coefficient of water.Conclusions. Dexamethasone was found to cause a dramatic decrease in BTB permeability and regional CBV but no significant changes in CBF or the degree of edema. The authors found that MR imaging provides a powerful tool for investigating the pathophysiological changes associated with the clinical effects of glucocorticoids.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basar Atalay ◽  
Hayrunnisa Bolay ◽  
Turgay Dalkara ◽  
Figen Soylemezoglu ◽  
Kamil Oge ◽  
...  

Object. The goal of this study was to investigate whether stimulation of trigeminal afferents in the cornea could enhance cerebral blood flow (CBF) in rats after they have been subjected to experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Cerebral vasospasm following SAH may compromise CBF and increase the risks of morbidity and mortality. Currently, there is no effective treatment for SAH-induced vasospasm. Direct stimulation of the trigeminal nerve has been shown to dilate constricted cerebral arteries after SAH; however, a noninvasive method to activate this nerve would be preferable for human applications. The authors hypothesized that stimulation of free nerve endings of trigeminal sensory fibers in the face might be as effective as direct stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. Methods. Autologous blood obtained from the tail artery was injected into the cisterna magna of 10 rats. Forty-eight and 96 hours later (five rats each) trigeminal afferents were stimulated selectively by applying transcorneal biphasic pulses (1 msec, 3 mA, and 30 Hz), and CBF enhancements were detected using laser Doppler flowmetry in the territory of the middle cerebral artery. Stimulation-induced changes in cerebrovascular parameters were compared with similar parameters in sham-operated controls (six rats). Development of vasospasm was histologically verified in every rat with SAH. Corneal stimulation caused an increase in CBF and blood pressure and a net decrease in cerebrovascular resistance. There were no significant differences between groups for these changes. Conclusions. Data from the present study demonstrate that transcorneal stimulation of trigeminal nerve endings induces vasodilation and a robust increase in CBF. The vasodilatory response of cerebral vessels to trigeminal activation is retained after SAH-induced vasospasm.


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