Contrast media effect on cerebral blood flow regulation after performance of cerebral or coronary angiography.
OBJECTIVE
The immediate hemodynamic effects of contrast agents are well documented. Less is known about their longer-lasting effects. We investigated the later effect of iopromide on the neurovascular coupling mechanism after the performance of cerebral or coronary angiography. Neurovascular coupling is a fine-tuned and reliable mechanism adapting cerebral blood flow to cortical activity. When performing a visual stimulation and measuring the resultant flow velocity change in the posterior cerebral artery transcranial Doppler has been used to determine vascular integrity.


METHODS
The visually evoked blood flow velocity response in the posterior cerebral artery was measured with transcranial Doppler before, 1-2 h after and the day after angiography. The overshoot of the flow velocity response and the stable flow velocity level at the end of the stimulation phase were used to compare the different conditions.


RESULTS
A significantly diminished overshoot was found 1-2 h after angiography only in patients undergoing cerebral angiography. The stable blood flow velocity levels at the end of the stimulation phase remained unchanged in all cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Our finding demonstrates effects of contrast media on dynamic blood flow regulation of the cerebral vasculature 1-2 h after application of direct contrast agent suggesting a possible concentration effect of the contrast agent. However, since the relative blood flow velocity increase under stable blood flow conditions remained constant, this dynamic alteration does not cause a reduction in cerebral blood flow.
Rosengarten
B
B
Department of Neurology, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany.
Steen-Müller
M K
MK
Müller
A
A
Traupe
H
H
Voss
R K
RK
Kaps
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
D003287:Contrast Media