Experimental augmentation of regional cerebral blood flow by microvascular anastomosis.

Intracranial surgical procedures for cerebrovascular occlusive disease have become feasible with the development of microvascular surgical techniques. This study assessed the ability of microanastomosis of the superficial temporal cortical artery to augment cerebral blood flow after clip occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in the dog. A variable degree of flow depression and consistent disruption of the blood-brain barrier occurred after occlusion. Augmentation of cerebral blood flow after anastomosis was associated with widening of the hysteresis loop obtained on autoregulatory testing but was unrelated to the degree of clinical recovery.