Prevention of cerebral infarction in the dog by intact omentum.

Three groups of dogs underwent total occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery close to its junction with the internal carotid artery. Dogs that had omentum placed on the brain prior to occlusion of the middle cerebral arterial withstood this deprivation of normal cerebral blood flow in a statistically significant manner when compared with dogs that had no omental protection or had omental placement on the brain simultaneous with middle cerebral artery occlusion. These results raise the possibility that use of the intact omentum might be another technic for revascularization of the brain in patients with transient cerebral ischemic attacks or brain dysfunctions secondary to diminished cerebral blood flow who presently are not candidates for routine surgical procedures for cerebral revascularization.