Levels and Disappearance of Prostaglandin F2rt in Cerebral Spinal Fluid: A Clinical and Experimental Study

The concentration of prostaglandin F2o (PGF2 in lumbar fluid may not reflect that present intracranially was tested experimentally in anesthetized dogs. In these experiments only a small fraction of the radioactive PGF2(, injected into the cisterna magna appeared in lumbar CSF. Prostaglandin F2a rapidly disappeared from the cisterna magna, half time of 8 minutes, and radioactivity was present in blood from the jugular vein indicating that normally this prostaglandin rapidly egresses from the CSF into blood. These findings suggest that PGF2t, can be rapidly transported away from the brain. This could explain the low concentrations of PGF2t, in CSF of normal individuals and in some patients who have severe cerebral vasospasm. Conversely, the elevation of PGF2(, in lumbar CSF noted in some patients might be due, in part, to an impairment of transport caused by the size and location of the hemorrhage.