Hypothermia and Cerebral Vascular Lesions

Abstract

Introduction In Part I of this study, it was postulated that the process of cerebral infarction would be modified or prevented if body temperature were reduced at the time of arterial occlusion.¹To test this hypothesis, the middle cerebral artery of the dog was interrupted at normal body temperature and during hypothermia. Each normothermic dog developed a cerebral infarct. When interruption of the artery occurred at 22-24 C, either no infarct developed or lesions were found which were small in size and restricted to relatively "silent areas." It was concluded, therefore, that hypothermia protects against cerebral infarction in the dog. The present set of experiments was undertaken to ascertain whether hypothermia would have a similar effect if the artery were interrupted at normal body temperature and then hypothermia were induced. It was hoped that such a study would provide data and, perhaps, a therapeutic technique which would be of