The impact of raised intracranial pressure on cerebral venous hemodynamics: a prospective venous transcranial Doppler ultrasonography study

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt G. H. Schoser ◽  
Nils Riemenschneider ◽  
H. Christian Hansen

Object. The effect of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) on cerebral venous blood flow has been the subject of very few clinical and experimental studies. The authors assessed the usefulness of venous transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography as a noninvasive monitoring tool for predicting raised ICP.Methods. Serial venous TCD studies of the basal vein of Rosenthal and the straight sinus (SS) were prospectively performed in 30 control volunteers and 25 patients with raised ICP. Correlations with ICP data were calculated using a multivariate regression model. Venous blood flow velocities (BFVs) in the basal vein of Rosenthal showed, within a certain range, a linear relationship between mean ICP and maximal venous BFV (r = 0.645; p < 0.002). Moreover, a linear relationship was found for maximal venous BFVs in the SS and mean ICP (r = 0.928; p < 0.0003).Conclusions. Venous TCD studies may provide an additional noninvasive monitoring tool for raised ICP and give further insights into the cerebral venous hemodynamics present during raised ICP.

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1045-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Oertel ◽  
Daniel F. Kelly ◽  
Jae Hong Lee ◽  
David L. McArthur ◽  
Thomas C. Glenn ◽  
...  

Object. Hyperventilation therapy, blood pressure augmentation, and metabolic suppression therapy are often used to reduce intracranial pressure (ICP) and improve cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in intubated head-injured patients. In this study, as part of routine vasoreactivity testing, these three therapies were assessed in their effectiveness in reducing ICP. Methods. Thirty-three patients with a mean age of 33 ± 13 years and a median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 7 underwent a total of 70 vasoreactivity testing sessions from postinjury Days 0 to 13. After an initial 133Xe cerebral blood flow (CBF) assessment, transcranial Doppler ultrasonography recordings of the middle cerebral arteries were obtained to assess blood flow velocity changes resulting from transient hyperventilation (57 studies in 27 patients), phenylephrine-induced hypertension (55 studies in 26 patients), and propofol-induced metabolic suppression (43 studies in 21 patients). Changes in ICP, mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), CPP, PaCO2, and jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2) were recorded. With hyperventilation therapy, patients experienced a mean decrease in PaCO2 from 35 ± 5 to 27 ± 5 mm Hg and in ICP from 20 ± 11 to 13 ± 8 mm Hg (p < 0.001). In no patient who underwent hyperventilation therapy did SjvO2 fall below 55%. With induced hypertension, MABP in patients increased by 14 ± 5 mm Hg and ICP increased from 16 ± 9 to 19 ± 9 mm Hg (p = 0.001). With the aid of metabolic suppression, MABP remained stable and ICP decreased from 20 ± 10 to 16 ± 11 mm Hg (p < 0.001). A decrease in ICP of more than 20% below the baseline value was observed in 77.2, 5.5, and 48.8% of hyperventilation, induced-hypertension, and metabolic suppression tests, respectively (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Predictors of an effective reduction in ICP included a high PaCO2 for hyperventilation, a high study GCS score for induced hypertension, and a high PaCO2 and a high CBF for metabolic suppression. Conclusions Of the three modalities tested to reduce ICP, hyperventilation therapy was the most consistently effective, metabolic suppression therapy was variably effective, and induced hypertension was generally ineffective and in some instances significantly raised ICP. The results of this study suggest that hyperventilation may be used more aggressively to control ICP in head-injured patients, provided it is performed in conjunction with monitoring of SjvO2.


1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 996-1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aram Ter Minassian ◽  
Eliane Melon ◽  
Caroline Leguerinel ◽  
Carlo Alberto Lodi ◽  
Françis Bonnet ◽  
...  

Object. The aim of this study was to reassess whether middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCAv) variations measured by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography during acute PaCO2 manipulation adequately reflect cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in patients with severe closed head injury. Methods. The study was performed by comparing MCAv variations to changes in CBF as assessed by measurements of the difference in the arteriovenous content in oxygen (AVDO2). The authors initiated 35 CO2 challenges in 12 patients with severe closed head injury during the acute stage. By simultaneous recording of systemic and cerebral hemodynamic parameters, 105 AVDO2 measurements were obtained. Patients were stratified into two groups, “high” and “low,” with respect to whether their resting values of MCAv were greater than 100 cm/second during moderate hyperventilation. Four patients displayed an elevated MCAv, which was related to vasospasm in three cases and to hyperemia in one case. The PaCO2 and intracranial pressure levels were not different between the two groups. The slope of the regression line between 1 divided by the change in (Δ)AVDO2 and ΔMCAv was not different from identity in the low group (1/ΔAVDO2 = 1.08 × ΔMCAv − 0.07, r = 0.93, p < 0.001) and significantly differed (p < 0.05) from the slope of the high group (1/ΔAVDO2 = 1.46 × ΔMCAv − 0.4, r = 0.83, p < 0.001). Conclusions. In patients with severe closed head injury, MCAv variations adequately reflect CBF changes as assessed by AVDO2 measurements in the absence of a baseline increase in MCAv. These observations indicate that both moderate variations in PaCO2 and variations in cerebral perfusion pressure do not act noticeably on the diameter of the MCA. The divergence from the expected relationship in the high group seems to be due to the heterogeneity of CO2-induced changes in cerebrovascular resistance between differing arterial territories.


1983 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshikazu Okada ◽  
Takeshi Shima ◽  
Mitsuo Yamamoto ◽  
Tohru Uozumi

✓ Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), sensory evoked potentials (SEP), and intracranial pressure (ICP) were investigated in dogs with focal cerebral ischemia produced by a silicone cylinder embolus in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) trunk as compared to that produced by trapping the same vessel. These variables were measured at intervals of 1 hour for a period of 6 hours after MCA occlusion. In the embolized animals, rCBF decreased most extensively at the basal ganglia, from a control level of 53.9 ± 3.9 (mean ± SE) to 21.5 ± 2.7 ml/100 gm/min at the 6th hour. Sensory evoked potentials decreased progressively from the resting level of 100% to 53.0% ± 7.2% at the 3rd hour. Intracranial pressure, measured by epidural pressure on the occluded side, increased rapidly during the first 3 hours, from 10.6 ± 0.3 to about 30 cm H2O. In the animals with trapping, the decreases in rCBF and declines of SEP were significantly less than those in the embolized animals, and no evident brain swelling was observed. This study demonstrates that MCA trunk occlusion by silicone cylinder embolization produces a more marked decrease in deep CBF, with diminution of SEP and increase in ICP, than that produced by trapping.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingunn R. Rise ◽  
Ole J. Kirkeby

Object. The authors tested the hypothesis in a porcine model that inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis during reduced cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) affected the relative cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the cerebrovascular resistance. Methods. The CPP was reduced by inducing high cerebrospinal fluid pressure and hemorrhagic hypotension. With continuous blood and intracranial pressure monitoring, relative CPP was estimated using the laser Doppler flowmetry technique in nine pigs that received 40 mg/kg nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and in nine control animals. The l-NAME caused a decrease in relative CBF (p < 0.01) and increases in cerebrovascular resistance (p < 0.01), blood pressure (p < 0.05), and CPP (p < 0.001). During high intracranial pressure there were no significant differences between the treated animals and the controls. After hemorrhage, there was no significant difference between the groups initially, but 30 minutes later the cerebrovascular resistance was decreased in the control group and increased in the l-NAME group relative to baseline (p < 0.05). Combined hemorrhage and high intracranial pressure increased the difference between the two groups with regard to cerebrovascular resistance (p < 0.05). Conclusions. These results suggest that nitric oxide synthesis inhibition affects the autoregulatory response of the cerebral circulation after cardiovascular compensation has taken place. Nitric oxide synthesis inhibition enhanced the undesirable effects of high intracranial pressure during hypovolemia.


1970 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsuo Numoto ◽  
R. M. Peardon Donaghy

✓ Suppression of the cortical electrical activity and resistance of cortical vessels to collapse were investigated under various pressures applied locally by an inflatable balloon over the cerebral cortex of dogs. The locally applied pressure and the transmitted general intracranial pressure were measured by a special pressure switch. To produce a 50% suppression of the electrical activity required an average of 45.4 mm Hg local pressure; for 100% suppression, an average of 164 mm Hg. Thus, suppression of the cortical electrical activity is proportional to the pressure applied. In separate experiments with transparent cranial windows, collapse of the cortical veins was produced by an average local pressure of 48.5 mm Hg and collapse of the cortical arteries by an average of 188 mm Hg. It is concluded that the cortical electrical activity is suppressed as a result of changes in local blood flow which are in turn a result of local compression and tissue distortion.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah B. Rockswold ◽  
Gaylan L. Rockswold ◽  
Janet M. Vargo ◽  
Carla A. Erickson ◽  
Richard L. Sutton ◽  
...  

Object. Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) therapy has been shown to reduce mortality by 50% in a prospective randomized trial of severely brain injured patients conducted at the authors' institution. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of HBO on cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolism, and intracranial pressure (ICP), and to determine the optimal HBO treatment paradigm. Methods. Oxygen (100% O2, 1.5 atm absolute) was delivered to 37 patients in a hyperbaric chamber for 60 minutes every 24 hours (maximum of seven treatments/patient). Cerebral blood flow, arteriovenous oxygen difference (AVDO2), cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate, and ICP values were obtained 1 hour before and 1 hour and 6 hours after a session in an HBO chamber. Patients were assigned to one of three categories according to whether they had reduced, normal, or raised CBF before HBO. In patients in whom CBF levels were reduced before HBO sessions, both CBF and CMRO2 levels were raised 1 hour and 6 hours after HBO (p < 0.05). In patients in whom CBF levels were normal before HBO sessions, both CBF and CMRO2 levels were increased at 1 hour (p < 0.05), but were decreased by 6 hours after HBO. Cerebral blood flow was reduced 1 hour and 6 hours after HBO (p < 0.05), but CMRO2 was unchanged in patients who had exhibited a raised CBF before an HBO session. In all patients AVDO2 remained constant both before and after HBO. Levels of CSF lactate were consistently decreased 1 hour and 6 hours after HBO, regardless of the patient's CBF category before undergoing HBO (p < 0.05). Intracranial pressure values higher than 15 mm Hg before HBO were decreased 1 hour and 6 hours after HBO (p < 0.05). The effects of each HBO treatment did not last until the next session in the hyperbaric chamber. Conclusions. The increased CMRO2 and decreased CSF lactate levels after treatment indicate that HBO may improve aerobic metabolism in severely brain injured patients. This is the first study to demonstrate a prolonged effect of HBO treatment on CBF and cerebral metabolism. On the basis of their data the authors assert that shorter, more frequent exposure to HBO may optimize treatment.


1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 846-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna M. Wardlaw ◽  
James Cannon ◽  
Patrick F. X. Statham ◽  
Rupert Price

Object. The authors sought to determine whether the increased pulsatility of aneurysms, compared with normal intracranial arteries, on color “power” transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound was due to a true change in aneurysm size and whether aneurysm dimensions change with intracranial pressure (ICP). Methods. The authors studied nine patients who had suffered recent subarachnoid hemorrhages complicated by hydrocephalus requiring intraventricular cerebrospinal fluid drainage, in whom the presence of an aneurysm was confirmed on angiographic examination. Color “power” TCD studies of the intracranial arteries and aneurysm were obtained through the temporal bone window before and after insertion of the ventricular drain and then at different known ICPs. Of the nine patients studied, four were examined both before and after insertion of a ventricular drain. At high ICPs, aneurysms appeared very “pulsatile” and the maximum cross-sectional area was small, whereas at low ICPs, aneurysms appeared larger and were much less pulsatile. The normal arteries did not change significantly in terms of pulsatility or maximum cross-sectional area at different levels of ICP. Conclusions. The change in aneurysm size visualized with the aid of color power TCD is likely to be real. Aneurysm dimensions vary with ICP levels; the lesions are larger and less pulsatile at low ICPs and smaller but more pulsatile at high ICPs.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 454-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingunn R. Rise ◽  
Ole J. Kirkeby

Object. In this study the authors tested the hypothesis that hemorrhagic hypotension and high intracranial pressure induce an increase in cerebrovascular resistance that is caused by sympathetic compensatory mechanisms and can be modified by α-adrenergic blockade. Methods. Continuous measurements of cerebral blood flow were obtained using laser Doppler microprobes placed in the cerebral cortex in anesthetized pigs during induced hemorrhagic hypotension and high cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Eight pigs received 2 mg/kg phentolamine in 10 ml saline, and 13 pigs served as control animals. During high intracranial pressure occurring after blood loss, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) (p < 0.01) and cerebral blood flow (p < 0.01) decreased in both groups. Cerebrovascular resistance increased (p < 0.05) in the control group and decreased < 0.005) in the phentolamine-treated group. The cerebrovascular resistance was significantly lower in the phentolamine-treated group (p < 0.05) than in the control group. Cerebrovascular resistance increased at lower CPPs in the control group (linear correlation, r = 0.39, p < 0.01) and decreased with decreasing CPP in the phentolamine-treated group (linear correlation, r = 0.76, p < 0.001). Conclusions. This study shows that the deleterious effects on cerebral hemodynamics induced by blood loss in combination with high intracranial pressure are inhibited by α-adrenergic blockade. This suggests that these responses are caused by α-adrenergically mediated cerebral vasoconstriction.


1977 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 670-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick H. Sklar ◽  
Ilya Elashvili

✓ The intracranial pressure-volume function as determined by brain elasticity is reported in normal dogs. Rapid subarachnoid infusions clearly define an exponential relationship between pressure and volume. An aliquot technique to measure elastance (dP/dV) at multiple intracranial pressures demonstrates a linear relationship between elastance and pressure. This follows mathematically from the exponential nature of the basic pressure-volume function. The clinical significance of brain elastance measurements is discussed. It is emphasized that the effects of pressure on CSF dynamics are superimposed on the pressure-volume function of brain elasticity and probably account for the process of spatial compensation for an expanding mass lesion. It is not apparent that elastance measurements can serve as indicators of impending decompensation, since the pressure-volume function of brain elasticity provides no direct information about CSF dynamics. Accordingly, the clinical usefulness of elastance measurements is seriously questioned.


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