[Clinical and hemodynamic effects of lipo PGE1 in cerebral infarction]

Prostaglandin (PG) E1 is a potent vasodilator on the peripheral vessels and also has an inhibitory action of platelet aggregation. Lipo PGE1, the lipid emulsified PGE1 has much longer half life time in the circulation than PGE1 which is rapidly inactivated in the lung. The purpose of this investigation was to study the clinical and hemodynamic effect of Lipo PGE1 on the 15 patients with acute or subacute focal cerebral ischemia. Of these patients, five had evidence of internal carotid artery occlusion, and ten had either occlusion or severe stenosis of middle cerebral artery. Lipo PGE1 containing 15 micrograms of PGE1 was administered within 12 days of onset of ischemic events. Before the first Lipo PGE1 administration, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of the affected middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory was 41.8 +/- 8.4 ml/100 g/min and on the non-affected side was 60.0 +/- 9.4 ml/100 g/min. Immediately after the Lipo PGE1 treatment, rCBF of the MCA region was increased by 6% on the affected side and by 11% on the non-affected side. rCBF of the affected MCA territory was increased more than 15% in five cases (Group 1) and was changed less than +/- 15% in seven cases (Group 2) by the first Lipo PGE1 treatment. Lipo PGE1 was administered every 8 hours for 10 to 14 days in these 12 cases. By the continuous Lipo PGE1 treatment, rCBF of the affected MCA territory increased by 18% in the Group 1 and by 3% in the Group 2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)