Brain perfusion and cognitive function changes in hypertensive patients.

The aim of our study was to estimate brain perfusion and cognitive function (CF) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) before and after hypotensive therapy. The study included 15 patients (mean age, 53.0+/-5.7 years) with previously untreated or ineffectively treated essential hypertension of the second degree. All patients underwent brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning with 99mTc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) and comprehensive neuropsychological testing before and after 24 weeks of hypotensive therapy (angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitor or diuretics). The brain perfusion was significantly lower (15-22%) in all regions of AH patients. These patients showed a 25% decrease in attention and psychomotor speed as well as a 14% decrease in mentation. Six months of hypotensive therapy led to an increase in brain perfusion by an average of 7-11% in all brain regions. After treatment these patients demonstrated an average 11-18% improvements in attention and psychomotor speed, as well as an average 10% improvement in abstract mentation. Marked signs of brain hypoperfusion and impaired CF: decrease in attention, slowing psychomotor speed and mentation was found in hypertensive patients even without focal neurological symptomatology. Twenty-four weeks of hypotensive treatment with ACE inhibitors or diuretics had a positive effect on cerebral perfusion and led to CF improvement.

Short-term and long-term cognitive function and cerebral perfusion in off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive function, as measured by serial neuropsychological testing, and cerebral perfusion, as measured by brain SPECT scanning in patients with coronary artery diseases (CAD) following off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Besides, the relationship between cerebral blood flow, cognitive functions, surgery parameters, and cardiac function in these patients were estimated. Also, brain-protective effects of instenon were studied. METHODS: Brain SPECT and comprehensive neuropsychological testing were performed 1 day before, 10-14 days and 6 months after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The study involved 65 patients (62 males and 3 females, mean age 55+/-2) who underwent CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (43 pts) and off-pump coronary revascularization (OPCAB) using the Octopus stabilization system (22 pts). In 21 cases employing CPB, for prevention of the impairments of cerebral perfusion and cognitive deficit instenon was administered. RESULTS: CABG with the use of extracorporeal circulation is complicated by short-term and long-term neurocognitive dysfunction (in 96 and 55% cases, correspondingly). Also, in the early period after CABG, in 68% patients, decrease in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was found, and after 6 months brain perfusion was lower than the baseline in 55% cases. Relationship between postoperative rCBF changes and the dynamics of cognitive function was found in early period and after 6 months following CABG. CONCLUSION: The coronary revascularization on beating heart or preventive administration of instenon in CPB patients helps significantly to diminish the risk of cerebrovascular complication.