Intracarotid L-arginine reverses motor evoked potential changes in experimental cerebral vasospasm.

Objective: To investigate motor evoked potentials during short term L-arginine infusion in cerebral vasospasm after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Methods: Three groups were designated for this study: control group, subarachnoid hemorrhage-saline infusion group, and subarachnoid hemorrhage-L-arginine infusion group. A subarachnoid hemorrhage was created by intracisternal injection of autologous blood in New Zealand rabbits.

Intracisternal versus intracarotid infusion of L-arginine in experimental cerebral vasospasm.

Aim: The effect of short term intracisternal and intracarotid L-arginine infusion on experimental cerebral acute phase vasospasm in a rabbit subarachnoid haemorrhage model is investigated, and the two groups compared.

Materials And Method: Subarachnoid haemorrhage was produced by intracisternal injection of autologous blood in New Zealand rabbits. On the fourth day after subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebral blood flow was monitored using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography during intracisternal and intracarotid saline and L-arginine infusions.