MONITORING OF CORTICAL BLOOD-FLOW - CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF EXPERIMENTAL LASER-DOPPLER STUDIES

Continuous monitoring of cortical blood flow provides real time inform ation of CBF-changes during neurosurgical operations and on the neuroi ntensive care unit Laser Doppler flowmetry is a continuous, noninvasiv e technique suitable for measurement of the cortical microcirculation. In a number of experimental studies we have analyzed the characterist ics of this method for cortical blood flow monitoring. The high spatia l resolution oi laser Doppler flowmetry and the heterogeneity of the c ortical microvascular network results in a scatter of flow values over a wide range depending on the site of measurement. Data collection fr om different spots and calculation of frequency histogram may serve as a measure of cortical blood flow For clinical application instead of single fiber probes a multispot measurement approach will provide a re liable cortical blood flow monitoring. The use oi continuous technique s will lead to a better understanding of cerebral hemodynamics under p athological conditions.