Intracranial haemorrhage induced at arterial pressure in the rat. Part 2: Short term changes in local cerebral blood flow measured by autoradiography.

The regional distribution of blood flow following intracranial haemorrhage at arterial pressure was measured with the 14C-iodoantipyrine autoradiographic technique in Sprague Dawley Rats. With uncontained haemorrhage, there was a bilateral reduction in cerebral blood flow, associated with a fall in cerebral perfusion pressure. With contained intracerebral haemorrhage there was a profound ipsilateral reduction in flow in the hemisphere adjacent to the haematoma. This study indicates that extensive cerebral ischaemia occurs immediately after an intracerebral haemorrhage, and that this may be the result of compression of the microcirculation.