Utility of cerebral circulation evaluation in acute traumatic brain injuries

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is well-known to cause dynamic changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). Specifically, TBI has been reported to cause decreases in cerebral blood flow (CBF). In this study, we measured CBF, mean transit time (MTT) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) after TBI. Our purpose was investigate the possibility of assessing TBI outcome and severity with these physiological parameters, and the clinical utility of cerebral circulation evaluation for brain-oriented intensive care. In 37 patients with TBI, xenon-enhanced CT (Xe-CT) and perfusion CT were performed on days 1-3 post-event (phase II). We measured CBF using Xe-CT and MTT by Perfusion CT and calculated CBV using an AZ-7000W98 computer system. Relative intra cranicol pressure (ICP) and CBF showed significant negative correlations. Relative ICP and MTT showed significant positive correlations. Outcomes, correlated with valuse of CBF and MIT. Significant differences in CBF and MTT were found between favorable outcome group (good recovery (GR) and moderate disability (MD)) and poor outcome group (severe disability (SD), vegetative state (VS), and dead (D)). We could estimate the outcome of patients after TBI by analyzing values of CBF and MTT with a probability of 74%. We evaluated cerebral circulation status in patients with TBI by CBF and MTT. These tests can help to optimize management and improve outcome in patients with severe TBI. (author)