Comparative study of cerebral vasoactivity in vascular sclerosis of the brain in elderly men

Thirty-five elderly patients underwent a systematic series of cerebrovascular examinations. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of clinical criteria: normal patients (Group 1), patients with sequelae of a previous stroke or with minor mental disorders (Group 2), and patients with arteriosclerosis dementia (Group 3). The vasomotor reactions of the cerebral arteries were investigated by estimating regional cerebral blood flow (133Xe clearance technique). The authors emphasize the existence of cerebral vasoreactivity in subjects with clinical symptoms of senile dementia. Furthermore, in each of the three groups of elderly patients, there seemed to be a lack of correlation between the clinical symptoms and certain specific vascular examinations.