BRAIN-SWELLING IN 1ST HOUR AFTER CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY

Six patients undergoing routine coronary artery bypass surgery were ex amined by magnetic resonance imaging of the brain before surgery, imme diately afterwards, and 6-18 days later. Brain swelling was visible in all six patients on the immediate postoperative scan. In five patient s who had later scans the swelling had subsided. No major neurological deficits were seen, and the patients were extubated successfully with in 3 h of the operation. The mechanism of the cerebral swelling is unc ertain, but it may provide insight into the cause of neurophysiologica l deficits seen after coronary artery surgery.