Cerebral Blood Flow during Trichloroethylene Anaesthesia: a Comparison with Halothane.

Cerebral blood flow has been measured in dogs using the method of Ingvar and Lassen (1962) in which flow is calculated from the rate of clearance from the exposed cerebral cortex of krypton 85 after its injection into the carotid artery. It was found that the addition of trichloroethylene in concentrations of 0.4-0.9 per cent to a nitrous oxideoxygen anaesthetic mixture did not alter the cerebral blood flow significantly. Trichloroethylene did, however, reduce the oxygen consumption of the cerebral cortex by 20 per cent. These findings are compared with the previously reported effects of halothane. The striking differences in the response of the cerebral blood vessels to the two agents is discussed.