Quantitative assessment of near-infrared spectroscopy time course under hypercapnia using an a priori model-based fitting.

Background: Partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO) modulates cerebral blood flow through a vasoreactivity mechanism. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used to record these changes in cerebral hemodynamics. However, no laterality comparison of the NIRS signal has been performed despite being a prerequisite for the use of such a method in a vasoreactivity monitoring context.