A comparative study of the portable regional CBF monitor and the portable mean hemispheral CBF monitor: advantages and disadvantages in clinical practice.

CBF determination can provide additional valuable information which can be used in clinical practice to enhance our capabilities in patient evaluation. The initial techniques requiring intraarterial injections have been largely replaced by the noninvasive inhalation and intravenous methods. The recent refinement of microcomputers and the development of portable CBF monitors have made CBF determination a nontraumatic, dependable and easily repeatable examination at the patient's bedside. In this communication we compare a portable region CBF monitor and a portable mean hemispheral CBF monitor; we study their advantages and disadvantages in clinical practice. Emphasis is placed on the practical characteristics and the information provided by each monitor and its contribution to patient evaluation. Illustrative cases are presented.