Postoperative Cerebral Blood Flow Evaluation by Stable Xenon Computed Tomography in Patients with a Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysm

ABSTRACT

In cerebrovascular disease, the measurement of cerebral blood flow(CBF) is an important indicator of a patient's clinical status, treatment and prognosis. The main advantage of Stable Xenon CT is that it noninvasively provides three-dimensional, high resolution, quantitative local cerebral blood flow information coupled to anatomic exposition. Using this modality, we measured postoperative CBF in 50 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm. The results were as follows 1) There was a negative relationship between age and CBF. 2) Among postoperative disability patients, global and regional CBF were markedly diminished. 3) CBF on the ipsilateral side of a craniotomy site was markedly lower than on the contralateral side. Xenon CT is a very useful method for the evaluation of postoperative CBF in intracranial aneurysm patients.