Disturbances in the blood-brain barrier and cerebral blood flow after rapid brain decompression in the cat.

The effect of sudden decompression of the brain on the blood-brain barrier and cerebral blood flow was studied in cats. The decompression experiments were performed on 9 cats which had been subjected to two hours of compression with an epidural balloon and on 10 cats subjected to four hours of balloon compression. In both experimental groups one could observe haemorrhages and disturbances in the blood-brain barrier in the cortex of the previously compressed hemisphere and in the basal nuclei. The extent of these changes depended on the duration of the epidural compression. At the same time, a decrease in cerebral blood flow, mainly in the brain cortex, was observed in both experimental groups.