Continuous monitoring of cortical perfusion by laser Doppler flowmetry in ventilated patients with head injury.

A method for monitoring cortical perfusion by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in the neurointensive care unit is described. Out of 22 patients with head injuries, reliable and long term recordings were obtained in 16. Laser Doppler flowmetry registered changes in cortical microcirculatory flow in response to spontaneous waves of raised intracranial pressure, and to therapeutic manoeuvres that altered the cerebral perfusion pressure. Comparisons of variations in flux signal with cerebral perfusion pressure provided an indication of the autoregulatory state of the cortical microcirculation, and analysis of raw LDF data demonstrated an autoregulatory breakpoint of cerebral perfusion pressure of 58 mm Hg, below which cortical perfusion failed. Although middle cerebral artery flow velocities were generally tightly coupled with LDF signal changes, episodes of uncoupling were seen. The potential uses and limitations of LDF in the neurointensive care setting are discussed.