CHEYNE-STOKES RESPIRATION IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE - OBSERVATIONS ON MIDDLE CEREBRAL-ARTERY BLOOD VELOCITY CHANGES USING TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER ULTRASOUND

Variation in middle cerebral artery blood velocity was observed in 8 p atients with Cheyne-Stokes respiration following acute ischaemic strok e in the middle cerebral artery territory. The middle cerebral artery blood velocity was highest during the first half of the respiratory ph ase, and lowest in the first half of the apnoeic phase, the mean diffe rence between the blood velocities in the apnoeic and respiratory phas es being significant at the p < 0.01 level on the symptomatic and asym ptomatic sides. The respiratory pattern should be taken into account w hen measuring cerebral blood velocity in patients with stroke. The pos sible effect of Cheyne-Stokes respiration on blood flow to ischaemic b rain is discussed.