Demonstration of cerebral microemboli occurring during coronary artery bypass graft surgery using fluorescein angiography.

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery is associated with an unacceptably high incidence of neurological and neuropsychological complications (Breur et al., 1981; Smith, 1988). The main cause of cerebral dysfunction following this type of surgery is probably cerebral microembolism (Dutton et al., 1974; Taylor, 1986). The eye is an outgrowth of the brain and therefore is uniquely suitable for the study of cerebral microcirculation. Retinal fluorescein angiography has been employed during this surgical procedure to demonstrate the changes which occur in the cerebral microcirculation during operation.