An experimental study on the occurrence of brain edema after retrograde cerebral perfusion

To assess the safety of retrograde cerebral perfusion, the occurrence of brain edema after this procedure was investigated. Twenty-eight adult mongrel dogs were divided into three groups that underwent the following treatments: antegrade perfusion (group 1, n = 9); retrograde perfusion alone (group 2, n = 11); or tetrograde perfusion with drugs (manuitol, thiopental sodium, and methylprednisolone; group 3, n = 8). After 90 minutes of cerebral perfusion at 20 degrees C of the pharyngeal temperature, evans blue (EB) was administered to check for disruptions of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and brain tissue water content was measured. Intracranial pressure after cerebral perfusion was markedly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (26.4 +/- 9.4 vs. 11.2 +/- 3.6 mmHg), and brain tissue water content was also significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (80.7 +/- 2.0 vs. 77.8 +/- 0.9%). These data suggested that brain edema was more prominent after retrograde perfusion than after antegrade perfusion. The extent of EB to brain tissue was greater in group 2 than in group 1 (169.8 +/- 97.7 vs. 54.7 +/- 31.5 micrograms/dl). The BBB was highly disrupted in group 2 and vasogenic edema appeared after retrograde cerebral perfusion. Maximum intracranial pressure, brain tissue water content and EB concentration were significantly lower in group 3 than in group 2, and did not differ significantly between group 3 and 1. Administration of pharmacologic agents suppressed edema formation and extravasation of EB. We conclude that 90 minutes of retrograde cerebral perfusion at 20 degrees C of the pharyngeal temperature causes brain edema and disrupts the BBB in a manner different from that associated with antegrade perfusion. Mannitol, thiopental sodium, and methylprednisolone prevent these phenomena, indicating that pharmacologic intervention may improve the safety of retrograde cerebral perfusion.