title: Influence of smoking cigarettes on cerebral blood flow parameters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While chronic cigarette smoking can lead to increased risk of stroke, the acute effects of smoking have not been established. We studied the changes in blood flow parameters in the major cerebral arteries caused by smoking one cigarette.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS), we studied the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), posterior cerebral artery (PCA), and the internal carotid artery (ICA) of 36 healthy male volunteers before and after they smoked one cigarette.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood flow velocity increased to a different degree in all but one of the arteries examined after participants smoked a single cigarette: The end diastolic velocity increased significantly by 7.8% in the PCA, 8% in the ACA, and 14.4% in the MCA. The peak systolic velocity increased significantly by 7.5% in the MCA. Blood flow velocity remained unchanged in the ICA only. Blood pressure and heart rate increased as did the flow velocity ratio for the MCA/ICA. The pulsatility index decreased after smoking from 0.92 ± 0.13 to 0.87 ± 0.14 in the MCA, 0.93 ± 0.15 to 0.87 ± 0.13 in the ACA, and 0.95 ± 0.17 to 0.89 ± 0.16 in the PCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the direct effect of smoking on cerebral circulation includes peripheral vasodilatation with possible constriction of the main trunk of the basal cerebral arteries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland Department of Invasive Neurology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kochanowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Medical Care, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland jola.lewko@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewko
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rutkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turek
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sieskiewicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lyson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Zenon
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mariak
mesh_terms: D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012907:Smoking; D014026:Nicotiana; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: cerebral blood flow; cigarette smoking; transcranial color-coded sonography