Cerebral circulatory and metabolic stimulation with nitrous oxide in the dog. Reconfirmation by the simultaneous measurement of cerebral blood flow using direct and Kety-Schmidt methods.

In both the presence and the absence of nitrous oxide (57%, end-tidal), cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by a direct method in dogs, and compared to an indirect method (Kety-Schmidt method), using argon as the tracer. Eighteen comparisons were made in five dogs at flows ranging from 45 to 123 ml per 100 g per minute. There was no systematic difference in CBF between the direct and indirect methods, and the ratio of direct CBF to indirect CBF was 1.03. The cerebral circulatory and metabolic stimulation effect of N2O in the dog was reconfirmed.