Relationship of Serial Measurements of Cerebral Hemodynamics to Prognosis in Patients with Hypertension and Cerebrovascular Disease

Baseline and follow-up measurements of cerebral hemodynamics were performed in hypertensive patients by the N2O method with a certain time interval. A tendency for some decrease in the CBF was noted, but the difference was not statistically significant. Twelve hypertensive patients suffered from a stroke during the period of observation. The CBF values prior to the stroke varied so widely that there was no predictive value from these measurements. The decrease in CBF in a mild case of cerebral infarction is slight and is followed by little fluctuation. The decrease in a case of moderate severity is marked but returns to normal in two to five months. Clinically severe cases of infarction and hemorrhage are also characterized by a marked decrease in CBF, but this decrease of infarcted cases may be irreversible. A higher incidence of recurrent infarction is noted in those patients in whom recovery of CBF following a stroke is poorest. This is most apparent in those patients suffering a recurrence within one year.