Effect of glycerol on cerebral blood flow in chronic cerebral ischemic disease

The change of cerebral blood flow (CBF) after glycerol infusion was analyzed in 10 cases of lacunar infarction and 11 cases of ischemic disease of major artery: 6 cases of internal carotid artery occlusion and 5 cases of middle cerebral artery occlusion. In lacunar infarction, CBF increased generally except for the corona radiata and the increased ratio was about 20%. In cases with ischemic disease of a major artery, the CBF tended to increase in the non-affected hemisphere after glycerol infusion. But CBF did not always increase in the affected hemisphere; rather it decreased in the temporal and parietal lobes and especially in the corona radiata. The blood flow of the affected hemisphere might be stealed to the non-affected hemisphere after glycerol infusion. This phenomenon might be caused by a poor cerebrovascular reserve capacity of the maximally dilated vessels in the affected side.