Victor E. Yushmanov1, Alexander Kharlamov1, Fernando E. Boada2, Stephen C. Jones2,3
1Department of Anesthesiology, Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 2MR Research Center, Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 3Departments of Anesthesiology and Neurology, Allegheny-Singer Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
In an attempt to pinpoint the earliest blood-brain barrier (BBB) abnormalities associated with vasogenic edema after stroke, Gd-DTPA contrast enhanced MRI and quantitative K+ histochemistry were performed in the rat brain after permanent MCAO. A thin line of Gd-DTPA enhancement occurred in the CSF space at the ventral edge of the ischemic region at 3.60.4 h (n=4) and did not occur in the sham craniotomy. These findings represent the earliest indication of BBB breakdown in the pial circulation and ischemic cortex, which correspond to the K+/Na+ imbalances in the ischemic core and might signal the onset of vasogenic edema.