title: Contralateral cerebral blood flow velocity changes after intracarotid amobarbital injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) leads to a prompt decrease in ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) mean blood flow velocity (MFV). Little is known about contralateral MFV changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors investigated bilateral MCA MFV using transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) in 8 patients with epilepsy undergoing IAP. Measurements were excluded from analysis if angiography revealed any signs of interhemispheric cross-flow.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With in 64 seconds after amobarbital injection, ipsilateral MFV decreased to a mean of 44.4% +/- 7.5% of baseline value (P < .01). In the absence of interhemispheric cross-flow and within 68 seconds, contralateral MFV decreased to 83.1% +/- 7.9% (P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed decrease of contralateral MFV was not caused by amobarbital cross-perfusion. A possible underlying mechanism may be interhemispheric deafferentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Munich, Germany. thomas.pfefferkorn@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pfefferkorn
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hundt
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Missler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noachtar
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Hamann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000654:Amobarbital / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D000654:Amobarbital