[Arterialization of the venous system of the brain]

The possibility of reverse perfusion of the brain (in which arterial blood flows to brain tissues through venous vessels, and venous blood is drained by the arteries) was studied in acute and chronic experiments on dogs. Blood pressure in cerebral veins could reach 90--120 mm Hg, in Willisii arteries it was 5--35 mm Hg. Liquor pressure reached 20--35 mmHg. After temporary arterialization of the brain venous system (10, 30 and 60 min) the animals survived without impairment of the brain function and behaviour. In the future reverse perfusion of the brain (in which blood pressure in the arteries falls to the level of venous pressure) could be used as a means of urgent surgical intervention in cases of threatened or beginning intracranial arterial hemorrhage.