Cerebral blood flow in cerebral ischemia. A review (with 1 color plate)

In the majority of apoplexy patients the absence of a primary haemorrhage points to acute vascular occclusion with regional ischemia as the initiating event. Yet, in many such cases in particular with transient symptoms, no occlusions can be found angiographically. This along with other evidences suggest that early lysis of the occlusion is frequent. The critical levels of 20 and 10 ml/100 g/min of ischemia are discussed along with the therapeutic inferences. It is concluded that only by emission tomography--the radioisotopic counterpart to CT scanning--will a quantitation of ischemia and of metabolic integrity of tissue areas be possible as a prerequisite for rational therapy.