[Cerebral circulation in chronic hypertensive encephalopathy].

Cerebral blood supply was studied in 123 patients with stage III hypertensive encephalopathy (HE) in the absence of occlusion of main head arteries. Duplex scanning was used to measure blood flow rate in common carotid (CCA), vertebral (VA) and medial cerebral (MCA) arteries. Cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by single-photon emission CT using 99mTc- ceretec. Normal and stable blood flow in CCA and VA was documented at all HE stages whereas it decreased in MCA of patients with HE II-III. Cortical CBF in frontal and parietal segments in HE II-II was higher than in HE I (p < 0.05). These findings suggest impaired subcortical perfusion and correlation of the discrepancy between cortical and subcortical blood supply with the severity of HE. Leukoaraosis is an indicator of hypoperfusion.