Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and cerebral blood flow changes in young rabbits

Hypoxic-ischemic cerebral damage was demonstrated in the cerebral cortex of 2-week-old rabbits at 3 to 5 days after bilateral carotid artery ligation and reperfusion during hypoxemia. Carotid ligation and reperfusion had little effect on cortical blood flow during normoxemia, but the former suppressed a blood flow increase to hypoxemia and the latter suppressed a blood flow decrease to hyperoxemia. These results suggest a relative ischemia or vascular dysfunction which may play a part in the pathogenesis of the hypoxic-ischemic cortical necrosis.