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(Stroke. 2004;35:638.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Cerebral Ischemia in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

A Correlative Microdialysis-PET Study

Asita S. Sarrafzadeh, MD; Daniel Haux, MD; Lutz Lüdemann, PhD; Holger Amthauer, MD; Michail Plotkin, MD; Ingeborg Küchler, PhD Andreas W. Unterberg, MD, PhD

From the Department of Neurosurgery (A.S.S.) and Radiology and PET-Center (L.L., H.A., M.P.), Berlin; Institute of Medical Biometry, Charité Campus Virchow Medical Center, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin (I.K.); and Department of Neurosurgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg (D.H., A.W.U.), Germany.

Correspondence to Asita S. Sarrafzadeh, Charité Campus Virchow Medical Clinic, Humboldt University of Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany. E-mail asita.sarrafzadeh{at}charite.de

Background and Purpose— Cerebral microdialysis (MD) is discussed as a technique for detection of cerebral ischemia in subarachnoid hemorrhage; however, clinical data on cerebral blood flow (CBF) are limited in these patients. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether pathological MD parameters reflect a reduced regional CBF (rCBF) determined by ¹⁵O-H₂O PET.

Methods— Thirteen subarachnoid hemorrhage patients (age, 48.7±15.0 years; World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade 1 to 5) were studied. Extracellular glucose, lactate, lactate/pyruvate (L/P) ratio, glutamate, and glycerol levels were analyzed hourly. rCBF was determined in the volume of interest of the MD catheter and all vascular territories. MD values were correlated to rCBF on the day of PET. Then, MD concentrations of asymptomatic versus ischemic phases (3-day medians) were analyzed.

Results— In symptomatic patients (n=10), rCBF was significantly lower compared with controls (n=3, P=0.048). Glutamate correlated best with rCBF (r=-0.66; P=0.014), followed by glycerol (r=-0.62; P=0.021). The L/P ratio was most sensitive (0.82) and specific (1.0) in indicating symptoms of ischemia, but only during longer periods of ischemia.

Conclusions— rCBF correlates best with glutamate, followed by glycerol, whereas the L/P ratio is sensitive only after longer periods of ischemia. Clinically relevant regional metabolic derangements occur already above an rCBF of 20 mL·100 g^-1·min^-1. Future research should focus on identifying alternative causes of metabolic derangement in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients and optimal treatment management in these patients.

Key Words: cerebral blood flow • cerebral metabolism • ischemia • microdialysis • subarachnoid hemorrhage

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