Effects of olprinone, a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor, on regional cerebral blood flow of cerebral cortex in stroke patients

The effects of olprinone (0.2 mug/kg per minute, i.v.) on cerebral blood fl ow were examined using technetium-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer (Tc-99m-ECD) b rain single-photon emission computed tomography in 14 stroke patients (69.0 +/- 5.6 years) and 12 normal subjects (68.1 +/- 6.2 years). The regional c erebral blood flow of the cerebral cortex was measured at six sites for eac h stroke patient (stroke group: n = 68, excluding 16 infarct areas confirme d on computed tomography image) and for each normal subject (normal group: n = 72). Tc-99m-ECD brain single-photon emission computed tomography was re peated as the baseline 7 days after olprinone treatment study. The percent increment of the rCBF was 14.4 +/- 9.8% in the normal group and 10.7 +/- 11 .7% in the stroke group (p = 0.002). The baseline value of the regional cer ebral blood now had a significant negative correlation with the increase of the regional cerebral blood flow in the normal group (r = -0.73, p < 0.000 1) and in the stroke group (r = -0.43, p < 0.001). Although olprinone could dilate the cerebral vessels of stroke patients as well as those of normal subjects, smooth muscle dysfunction of the cerebral vessels due to advanced arteriosclerosis may reduce this effect.