• Francisco Robaina, Bernardino Clavo, Luis Catalá, Miguel Á Caramés, and Jesús Morera.
• Department of Neurosurgery & Research Unit, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Chronic Pain Unit, Department of Radiation Oncology & Research Unit and Department of Radiology of the Dr. Negrín Hospital, and Canary Institute for Cancer Research (ICIC), Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain.
• Neuromodulation. 2004 Jan 1;7(1):26-31.

AbstractThe effect of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) has, in the past, been evaluated by semiquantitative techniques, but has not been used to treat CBF diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of cervical SCS on regional blood flow by both semiquantitative and quantitative methods. Thirty-five patients with cervical SCS-implanted devices were enrolled. The following parameters were measured before and after cervical SCS: systolic and diastolic velocity (cm/s) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) by transcranial Doppler (TCD) and volume blood flow quantification (ml/min) in the common carotid artery (CCA) by color Doppler. During cervical SCS there was a significant and bilateral increase in systolic (21%) and diastolic (26%) velocity in the MCA and in CCA blood flow (50%). We conclude that cervical SCS increases blood flow in the middle cerebral artery and common carotid artery. The consistent increase supports the potential usefulness of cervical SCS as an adjuvant treatment for cerebral blood flow diseases.

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