Size Differences of Major Cerebral Vessels in a Variety of Cerebrovascular Diseases with Changed Blood Flow

Cho, Yong Jun; Kim, Chang Hyon; Kwak, Dong Ken; Park, Se Hyuck; Lee, Kyu Ho

Abstract

It has been known that the size of arterial diameter during growth in primates is closely dependent on blood flow. Flow induced arterial size can be influenced by contractile or structual characters of vascular smooth muscle cells. Furthermore it had been confirmed through experimental study that vascular endothelium releases vasoactive substances which adjust smooth muscle tone, and could detect shear stress on the vascular wall by its direct contact with luminal flow. The authors tried to prove it through the angiographic measurement of the major vessel sizes in cerebrovascular diseases with changed blood flow. We measured the major vessel sizes of 36 cases of cerebrovascular diseases:arteriovenous malformation in 14 cases, cerebral infarction in 8, cerebral hemiatrophy in 6 moyamoya disease 5, occlusion of the internal carotid artery in 2, and carotid-cavernous fistula in 1, which may influence cerebral blood flow, on angiography under the same circumstances. Results are as the followings: 1) In the cases of arteriovenous malformation and carotid-cavernous fistula, all of the major vessel sizes of the lesion wite were increased and all became decreased postoperatively. 2) In the cases of major vessel occlusion and cerebral hemiatrophy, the major vessel size of the lesion site was smaller than that of the normal site. 3) In the cases of moyamoya disease, there was no definite size different between both ICA sizes. In conclusion, the change in cerebral blood flow is a determinant factor of the major vessel sizes in the cases of cerebrovascular disorders which an influence cerebral blood flow.