Variations in mean cerebral blood flow under anesthesia at rest and during cortical activation.

More than one cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurement was performed on the same occasion in three groups of patients using the intracarotid 133Xenon technique. In the anesthetized group there was a highly significant reduction in CBF (mean = 24.3%) from the first to the second measurement. In those at rest under local anesthesia there was also a significant fall (mean 9.8%). The third group, who were stimulated during the second estimation, showed no change. A second CBF determination some time after beginning a study is recommended, especially in pharmacological studies, to provide a more reliable resting control, rather than the first value which represents flow in an "activated" brain which has not yet adapted fully to its new environment.