Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients With Brain Infarcts

Abstract

THE AVERAGE cerebral blood flow (CBF) measured with the nitrous oxide technique¹ is lower in patients with brain infarcts than in normal subjects of the same age. This diminution, however, does not seem to correlate with significant clinical aspects such as the severity of symptoms or the prognosis (with the exception of the state of consciousness).^2-5 A method for measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in man has recently been developed by Lassen et al.^6,7 Eckberg et al,⁸ Geraud et al,⁹ and Hoedt-Rasmussen and Skinhoy¹⁰ have applied it to the investigation of the distribution of the overall CBF in disease states and its correlation with some clinical, anatomical, radiological, and electroencephalographical aspects. The justification for such studies is that quantitative determination of regional cerebral circulation might provide different and, perhaps, more relevant and useful information in regard to localized disease processes of