Cerebral perfusion during anesthesia with fentanyl, isoflurane, or pentobarbital in normal rats studied by arterial spin-labeled MRI

The influence of anesthetic agents on cerebral blood flow (CBF) was tested in normal rats. CBF is quantified with arterial spin-labeled MRF in rats anesthetized with either an opiate (fentanyl), a potent inhalation anesthetic agent (isoflurane), or a barbiturate (pentobarbital) using doses commonly employed in experimental paradigms. CBF values were found to be about 2.5-3 times tower in most regions analyzed during anesthesia with either fentanyl (with N2O/O-2)or pentobarbital vs. isoflurane (with N2O/O-2), in agreement with findings utilizing invasive measurement techniques. CBF was heterogeneous in rats anesthetized with isoflurane (with N2O/O-2), but relatively homogeneous in rats anesthetized with either fentanyl (with N2O/O-2) or pentobarbital, also in agreement with studies using other techniques. Magn Reson Med 46:202-206, 2001. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.