Pre- and Post-Hemodialysis Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease

Abstract

Background: This study assessed the consequences of hemodialysis (HD) on hemodynamic parameters of cerebral circulation by measuring middle cerebral artery blood flow velocities using transcranial Doppler ultrasound before and after a single dialysis session in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Materials and Methods: Fifty clinically stable patients with ESRD undergoing HD and 40 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Blood pressure, heart rate, and body weight were measured. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound evaluations and blood analyses were performed immediately before and after a single dialysis session. Results: The mean cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFVs) in the ESRD patients before HD was 65 ± 17 cm/second and did not differ from that of the normal controls (64 ± 14 cm/s) (P = 0.735). The postdialysis CBFV also did not differ from that of the controls (P = 0.054). Conclusion: Compensatory cerebral autoregulation and chronic adjustment to therapy may be the reason for the nondeviation of the CBFV values from normality observed in both sessions.