Light-reflective cerebral oximetry and jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation during carotid endarterectomy

A novel instrument using reflected near-infra-red light spectroscopy to measure cerebral oxygen saturation non-invasively was evaluated during carotid endarterectomy; cerebral perfusion was compared with jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation and transcranial Doppler ultrasonographic measurements. Initially, oximetry sensors with light source-detector separation distances of 10 and 27 mm were positioned over the frontal area, while a cannula positioned in the jugular bulb permitted sampling for jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation. To increase cerebral oxygen saturation sensitivity, modified sensors with light source-detector separation distances of 30 and 40 mm were relocated over the middle cerebral artery territory. The changes in cerebral and jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation, and in peak blood flow velocity before and 30 s after carotid clamping and declamping were recorded. The modified cerebral perfusion system achieved improved correlations between cerebral and jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation changes during carotid clamping and declamping (r = 0·92, P<0·001). The correlation between change in cerebral oxygen saturation and the percentage change in peak flow velocity on both cross-clamping and declamping was equally strong (r=0·90, P< 0·001). Near-infra-red cerebral spectroscopy reliably detects changes in cerebral oxygen saturation during carotid endarterectomy and may have wide applications in monitoring brain perfusion during neurosurgery and cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, and in closed head injury.