Comparison of effects of equiosmolar doses of mannitol and hypertonic saline on cerebral blood flow and metabolism in traumatic brain injury.

The potential superiority of hypertonic saline (HTS) over mannitol (MTL) for control of intracranial pressure (ICP) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is still debated. Forty-seven severe TBI patients with increased ICP were prospectively recruited in two university hospitals and randomly treated with equiosmolar infusions of either MTL 20% (4 mL/kg; n=25 patients) or HTS 7.5% (2 mL/kg; n=22 patients). Serum sodium, hematocrit, ICP, arterial blood pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), shear rate, global indices of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolism were measured before, and 30 and 120 min following each infusion during the course of illness. Outcome was assessed at 6 months. Both HTS and MTL effectively and equally reduced ICP levels with subsequent elevation of CPP and CBF, although this effect was significantly stronger and of longer duration after HTS and correlated with improved rheological blood properties induced by HTS. Further, effect of HTS on ICP appeared to be more robust in patients with diffuse brain injury. In contrast, oxygen and glucose metabolic rates were left equally unaffected by both solutions. Accordingly, there was no significant difference in neurological outcome between the two groups. In conclusion, MTL was as effective as HTS in decreasing ICP in TBI patients although both solutions failed to improved cerebral metabolism. HTS showed an additional and stronger effect on cerebral perfusion of potential benefit in the presence of cerebral ischemia. Treatment selection should therefore be individually based on sodium level and cerebral hemodynamics.

Cerebral blood flow and metabolism following decompressive craniectomy for control of increased intracranial pressure.

OBJECTIVE: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a common practice for control of intracranial pressure (ICP) following traumatic brain injury (TBI), although the impact of this procedure on the fate of operated patients is still controversial. METHODS: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolic rates were monitored prospectively and daily as a surrogate of neuronal viability in 36 TBI patients treated by DC and compared with those of 86 nonoperated patients. DC was performed either on admission (n=29) or within 48 hours of admission (n=7). RESULTS: DC successfully controlled ICP levels and maintained CBF within a normal range although the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) was significantly lower in this group. In 7 patients, pre- and postoperative recordings showed a significant ICP decrease that correlated with CBF augmentation but not with concurrent improvement of CMRO2 that remained particularly low. Logistic regression analysis of all investigated variables showed that DC was not associated with higher mortality despite more severe injuries in this group. However, operated patients were 7-fold more likely to have poor functional outcomes than nonoperated patients. Good functional outcome was strongly associated with higher CMRO2 but not with higher CBF values. CMRO2 levels were significantly lower in the DC group, even after adjustment for injury severity, and showed a progressive and sustained trend of deterioration significantly different from that of the non-DC group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that DC may enhance survival in the presence of severe brain swelling, although it is unlikely to represent an adequate answer to mitochondrial damage responsible for cellular energy crisis and edema.

Perfusion-CT for early assessment of traumatic cerebral contusions.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the value of perfusion-CT (PCT) for assessment of traumatic cerebral contusions (TCC) and to compare the abilities of early noncontrast CT and PCT modalities to evaluate tissue viability. METHODS: PCT studies performed in 30 patients suffering from TCC during the acute phase of their illness were retrospectively reviewed. Cerebral blood flow (CBF), volume (CBV) and mean transit time (MTT) were measured in three different areas: the hemorrhagic core of the TCC, the surrounding hypodense area and the perilesional normal-appearing parenchyma. TCC area was measured on CBF-, CBV- and MTT-derived maps and compared with the areas measured using the same slice obtained with CT scans performed on admission, at the time of PCT (follow-up CT) and at 1 week. RESULTS: TCC were characterized by low CBF and CBV values (9.2+/-6.6 ml/100 g per min and 0.9+/-0.7 ml/100 g, respectively) and a significant prolongation of MTT (11.9+/-10.7 s) in the hemorrhagic core whereas PCT parameters were more variable in the hypodense area. The TCC whole area showed a noticeable growth of the lesions during the first week of admission. In comparison with early noncontrast CT, CBV and CBF maps proved to be more congruent with the findings of noncontrast CT scans at 1 week. CONCLUSION: PCT confirmed the results of xenon-CT studies and was shown to allow better evaluation of tissue viability than noncontrast CT. These findings suggest that PCT could be implemented in the future for the early assessment of patients with traumatic brain injury.

Monitoring of cerebral blood flow and metabolism in traumatic brain injury.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the course of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolism in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and to specifically characterize the changes in lactate and glucose indices in the acute post-traumatic period with regard to neurological condition and functional outcome. For this purpose, 55 consecutive TBI patients (mean age 37 +/- 17 years, mean GCS 6.8 +/- 3.2) were prospectively and daily evaluated. Global CBF, cerebral metabolic rates of oxygen (CMRO2), glucose (CMRGlc), and lactate (CMRLct) were calculated using arterial jugular differences. In all patients, CBF was moderately decreased during the first 24 h in comparison with normal subjects although this relative oligemia was more pronounced in patients with poor outcome (p = 0.0007). Both CMRO2 and CMRGlc were significantly depressed and correlated to outcome (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0088). CMRLct analysis revealed positive values (lactate uptake) during the first 48 h, especially in patients with favorable outcome. Both CMRO2 and CMRLct correlated with GCS (p = 0.0001, p = 0.0205). CMRLct levels showed an opposite correlation with CBF in patients with favorable and poor outcome. In the former group, correlation analysis exhibited a negative slope with evidence for increasing lactate uptake associated with lower CBF values (r = -0.1940, p = 0.0242). On the contrary, in patients with adverse outcome, CMRLct values demonstrated a weak though opposite correlation with CBF (r = 0.0942, p = 0.2733). The present data emphasize the clinical significance of monitoring of cerebral blood flow and metabolism in TBI and provide evidence for metabolic coupling between astrocytes and neurons.