In vivo 19F one-dimensional chemical shift imaging study of isoflurane uptake in rabbit brain.

19F one-dimensional chemical shift imaging and one-pulse techniques were used to follow the uptake of isoflurane in rabbit brain in vivo. Brain isoflurane appeared mainly in two adjacent slices of cerebral cortex. Both slices showed increase in anesthetic content at similar rates. A biphasic first-order uptake pattern with an initial fast component and a slower rate for the duration of the uptake was observed by the one-pulse technique. Only the slower kinetic was followed by chemical shift imaging due to constraints on temporal resolution. Anesthetic levels in arterial blood reached equilibrium significantly earlier than in brain, suggesting a 'restricted' diffusion into brain tissue for this agent.