[Study for lateralization of hemispheric cerebral blood flow by argon method with catheterization into the bilateral...

Only 24 patients with chronic ischemic cerebrovascular lesions, which had been lateralized to either hemisphere of the cerebrum, were analyzed by argon desaturation method measuring bilateral hemispheric blood flows. Their ages varied from 10 to 72 years with a mean of 49 years. Fifteen patients (62.5%) had localized ischemic lesions in the left cerebral hemispheres and remaining 9 patients (37.5%) had in the right hemispheres. The clinical symptom of each patient was lateralized due to localized ischemic focus. Bilateral transfemoral catheterization of the internal jugular bulbs was successfully performed. Each hemispheric blood flow was calculated by argon desaturation method using mass spectrometry based on Fick's principle. Half of the patients, 12 cases revealed lateralization over 20% significant differences of its values. 8 patients (66.7%) were reduced significantly in the left hemispheres and 4 patients were contralaterally. Finally 9 patients revealed that CBF values at the affected side was significantly reduced with no anatomical differences among sinus systems. It is probably that CBF value at the affected side reflects its ischemic lesion more than that at the non-affected side. Several authors reported no predominant lateralization between bilateral sinus draining systems. Based on possibility of "laminar flow" in the confluence, CBF value at the affected side is more important. So further investigations are needed for the future.