Ligation of lateral carotid artery attenuates disturbance of brain function caused by subsequent cerebral ischemia in rabbits.

The effects of right carotid artery ligation on the subsequent cerebral ischemia, induced by iron particle injection, in rabbits, were evaluated by recording somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) using laser Doppler flowmetry. Iron particle injection decreased CBF over 120 min and delayed SEP onset latency in rabbits with no previous carotid artery ligation (control group). In rabbits with a carotid ligation 3 days before, iron particle injection induced the decrease of CBF, as in the control group, but did not prolong the latency of SEP. Injection of iron particles induced only a transient decrease of CBF (less than 10 min) followed by an abrupt recovery, and no prolongation of SEP latency was observed in rabbits with a carotid ligation 6 days before. These results suggest that carotid artery ligation induces a beneficial effect on cerebral function during the subsequent ischemia, which is independent on the CBF changes.