Effect of Sevoflurane Postconditioning on the Incidence of Symptomatic Cerebral Hyperperfusion After Revascularization Surgery in Adult Patients with Moyamoya Disease.

OBJECTIVE

Various experimental studies have reported neuroprotective effects of sevoflurane postconditioning against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. We therefore investigated its neuroprotective effects on hyperperfusion-related transient neurologic deterioration, called symptomatic cerebral hyperperfusion (SCH), and also identified predictive factors for SCH in patients with moyamoya disease after revascularization surgery.

METHODS

A total of 152 adult patients with moyamoya disease undergoing anastomosis of the superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery were randomly allocated into 2 groups. The postconditioning group (group S, n = 76) inhaled sevoflurane of 1 minimum alveolar concentration for 15 minutes immediately after reperfusion and then washed it out slowly for 15 minutes. The control group (group C, n = 76) received no intervention. The incidence of SCH was compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

The incidence of SCH was not significantly different between groups S and C (53.3% vs. 43.4%, respectively; P = 0.291). The incidence of postoperative complications and the Glasgow Outcome Scale score at hospital discharge also did not differ significantly. Predictive factors for SCH included a decreased vascular reserve in preoperative single-photon emission computed tomography scan (odds ratio [OR], 7.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78-29.02; P = 0.006), an operation performed on the dominant hemisphere (OR, 3.32; 95% CI, 1.57-6.98; P = 0.002), temporal occlusion time (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.11; P = 0.017), and intraoperative minimum partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.94; P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Sevoflurane postconditioning did not reduce the incidence of SCH after revascularization surgery in patients with moyamoya disease. Rather, a decreased vascular reserve, operation on the dominant hemisphere, increased temporal occlusion time, and decreased intraoperative minimum PaCO2 were associated with SCH in these patients.