Temporary application of lower body positive pressure improves intracranial velocities in symptomatic acute carotid occlusion or tight stenosis: A pilot study.

Background: Patients with isolated cervical carotid artery occlusion not eligible to recanalization therapies but with compromised intracranial hemodynamics may be at risk of further clinical events. Apart from lying flat until spontaneous recanalization or adjustment of the collateral circulation hopefully occurs, no specific treatment is currently implemented. Improving collateral flow is an attractive option in this setting. Lower body positive pressure (LBPP) is known to result in rapid venous blood shift from the lower to the upper body part, in turn improving cardiac preload and output, and is routinely used in acute hemorrhagic shock. We report here cerebral blood flow velocities measured during LBPP in this patient population.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the clinical, physiological, and transcranial Doppler monitoring data collected during and 15 min after LBPP in 21 consecutive patients (10 females, median age: 54 years) with recently symptomatic isolated carotid occlusion/tight stenosis (unilateral in 18) mostly due to atherosclerosis or dissection. LBPP was applied for 90 min at a median 5 days after symptom onset.

Results: At baseline, middle-cerebral artery velocities were markedly lower on the symptomatic, as compared to asymptomatic, side. LBPP significantly improved blood flow velocities in both the symptomatic and asymptomatic middle-cerebral artery as well as the basilar artery, which persisted 15 min after discontinuing the procedure. LBPP also resulted in mild but significant increases in mean arterial blood pressure.

Conclusions: LBPP improved intracranial hemodynamics downstream recently symptomatic carotid occlusion/tight stenosis as well as in the contralateral and posterior circulations, which persisted after LBPP deflation. Randomized trials should determine if this easy-to-use, noninvasive, nonpharmacologic approach has long-lasting benefits on the intracranial circulation and improves functional outcome.