Compartmental abnormalities of regional cerebral blood flow in children with head trauma

Abstract

✓ Regional cerebral blood flow (CBFr) and compartmental analysis in a series of children with closed head injuries have demonstrated abnormalities of both rate and distribution of blood flow. The most frequent derangement was a triphasic flow pattern overlying one or more regions of traumatized brain. The rate of flow in this third compartment is two to five times the rate of normal gray matter flow; while the relative weight of the compartment varies between 3.5% and 15%. The pathophysiology of this third, rapid compartment of flow is discussed, and the argument put forth that such flow does not represent hyperperfusion but rather an ischemia of the gray matter because such blood flow is not available to the tissue for nutrition. If this is so, it may well be a cause of permanent sequelae in the pediatric age group.