Abstract

CLAVO, B. et al. Cerebral blood flow increase in cancer patients by applying cervical spinal cord stimulation. Neurocirugía [online]. 2007, vol.18, n.1, pp.16-27. ISSN 1130-1473.

Introduction. Generally, high-grade gliomas and head and neck tumors have decreased loco-regional blood flow resulting in reduced delivery of chemotherapy and oxygen, as well as an increases in radiation resistance to radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of cervical spinal cord electrical stimulation (cSCS) on cerebral blood flow in patients with those tumors. Patients and methods. We have evaluated 27 cancer patients with 12 with high grade gliomas and 15 with advanced head and neck tumors, who had cSCS devices placed after tumor diagnoses and before the commencementinitiating of radio-chemotherapy. They were 12 high grade gliomas and 15 advanced head and neck tumors. Before and after cSCS, cerebral blood flow was assessed bilaterally by transcranial Doppler. Results. During cSCS there was a significant (p<0.001) increase in systolic (mean >22%) and diastolic (>29%) blood-flow velocities in both, healthy and tumor middle cerebral arteries. The analyses by subgroup of tumors showed similarly significant outcomesfindings. Conclusions. The results suggest that neuro-stimulationspinal cord electrical stimulation can increase cerebral blood flow in cancer patients. The implication is that this technique could be useful in modifying loco-regional ischemia in brain tumors thus improveing the outcomes of after radio-chemotherapy. Further research is in progress to confirm the advantages of the technique.

Keywords : Brain tumors; Cerebral blood flow; Ischemia; Spinal cord stimulation; Transcranial Doppler.

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