X-Message-Number: 12238
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 05:39:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: brain (but not hypothalamus) death

Authors
  Ikuta F.  Takeda S.
Institution
  Department of Pathology, Niigata University.
Title
  [Neuropathology required from "brain death"]. [Review] [8
  refs] [Japanese]
Source
  Rinsho Shinkeigaku - Clinical Neurology.  33(12):1334-6, 1993 Dec.
Abstract
  We have pathoanatomically investigated Japanese 84 autopsied patients who had
  been clinically judged to be in a state of "brain death". 1)
  The finding observed in all the cases was that the brains
  revealed a severe state of increased intracranial pressure (IICP) with
  secondary hemorrhages involving the brain stem tegmentum. 2)
  Autolysis was observed in all the brains,
  especially in their brain stems, and the degree was always
  severer than in the visceral organs (VOs). 3) We considered that in all the
  cases cessation of cerebral blood flow occurred at least in the
  brain stem tegmentum by the time of the judgements. 4) We
  pointed out that like the VOs, the spinal cord under a certain level of the
  cervical segments continued to live until the cardiac stop. 5) We also
  considered that in nearly half the cases the neurons of the hypothalamus,
  especially of its supraoptic nucleus, tended to live long, for 3 to 4 days,
  even after the judgements. [References: 8]

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=12238