Per- and postoperative changes in the arterio-venous oxygen content difference (AVDO2) in patients subjected to craniotomy for cerebral tumours.

Sixteen patients with supratentorial cerebral tumours were subjected to craniotomy under thiopentone, fentanyl, nitrous oxide, halothane anaesthesia during moderate hypocapnia (PaCO2 level 4.0 kPa). The arterio-venous oxygen content difference (AVDO2) was measured peroperatively, and repeatedly during the first three hours after extubation. Peroperatively the level of AVDO2 averaged 8.0 vol% during opening of the dura, and decreased to 7.0 vol% during closure of the dura (P less than 0.05). Immediately after extubation the AVDO2 decreased to 4.3 vol% (P less than 0.05), and during the next 3 hours a gradual increase to 5.8 vol% (P less than 0.05) was disclosed. In individual cases the postoperative changes in AVDO2 correlated fairly well with changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), but other factors including duration of the operation, age of the patients, size of the tumour, level of PaCO2 and adaptation to prolonged hyperventilation during operation are supposed to be responsible for the low levels of AVDO2 observed in the postoperative period.