Effects of Surgical Levels of Propofol and Sevoflurane Anesthesia on Cerebral Blood Flow in Healthy Subjects Studied with Positron Emission Tomography

Abstract

Both anesthetic agents caused a global reduction of rCBF (propofol > sevoflurane) at the 1 MAC/EC(50) level. The effect was maintained at higher propofol concentrations, whereas 2 MAC sevoflurane caused noticeable flow redistribution. Despite the marked global changes, SPM analysis enabled detailed localization of regions with the greatest relative decreases.