• M S Vavilala, L A Lee, M Lee, A Graham, E Visco, and A M Lam.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University of Washington, Seattle 98104, USA. vavilala@u.washington.edu
• Br J Anaesth. 2003 May 1; 90 (5): 636-41.

IntroductionLittle is known about cerebral autoregulation in children. The aim of this study was to examine cerebral autoregulation in children.MethodsCerebral autoregulation testing was performed during less than 1 MAC sevoflurane anaesthesia in children (from 6 months to 14 yr) and in adults (18-41 yr). Mean middle cerebral artery flow velocities (V(MCA)) were measured using transcranial Doppler ultrasonography. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was increased to whichever was greater: 20% above baseline or (i) 80 mm Hg for less than 9 yr, (ii) 90 mm Hg for 9-14 yr, and (iii) 100 mm Hg for adults. Cerebral autoregulation was considered intact if the autoregulatory index was > or =0.4.ResultsThere were 13 subjects less than 2 yr old (Group 1), 13 subjects 2-5 yr (Group II), 14 subjects 6-9 yr (Group III), 12 subjects 10-14 yr (Group IV), and 12 adults (Group V; control group). All subjects had an autoregulatory index > or =0.4. There was no difference in autoregulatory index between children in Groups I-IV or between children and adults.DiscussionWe found no age-related differences in autoregulatory capacity during low-dose sevoflurane anaesthesia. We report no differences in autoregulatory capacity between children and adults.

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