[Neuropathology required from "brain death"].
We have pathoanatomically investigated Japanese 84 autopsied patients who had been clinically judged to be in a state of "brain death". 1) The finding observed in all the cases was that the brains revealed a severe state of increased intracranial pressure (IICP) with secondary hemorrhages involving the brain stem tegmentum. 2) Autolysis was observed in all the brains, especially in their brain stems, and the degree was always severer than in the visceral organs (VOs). 3) We considered that in all the cases cessation of cerebral blood flow occurred at least in the brain stem tegmentum by the time of the judgements. 4) We pointed out that like the VOs, the spinal cord under a certain level of the cervical segments continued to live until the cardiac stop. 5) We also considered that in nearly half the cases the neurons of the hypothalamus, especially of its supraoptic nucleus, tended to live long, for 3 to 4 days, even after the judgements.
Ikuta
F
F
Department of Pathology, Niigata University.
Takeda
S
S
D001329:Autolysis; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001926:Brain Death / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000473:pathology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology