82991 - Novel Method to Measure Cerebrovascular Reactivity

Introduction: Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), defined as a change in cerebral blood flow in response to a vasoactive stimulus, reflects the vasodilatory reserve capacity of cerebral vessels. CVR impairment has shown to be an important prognostic marker of several diseases including stroke. Several techniques have used to measure CVR but the lack of appropriate reproducible stimuli and noninvasive CBF measurement methods limit the routine use of CVR measurement in clinical practice. We have developed a non-invasive method of mapping CVR using a precise targeting of CO2 and BOLD-MRI. Aim of our study was to investigate the feasibility of measurement of CVR using sequential breathing circuit for precise targeting of CO2 in mechanically ventilated patients.