[Validity of cerebral angiography via venous route in the diagnosis of brain death]

Bull Acad Natl Med. 1995 Jan;179(1):41-8; discussion 48-50.
[Article in French]

Abstract

The success of transplantations relies on uninjured organs i.e., harvested before circulatory failure. At present, french law concerning cerebral death criteria (circulaire ministérielle n. 3 du 21.01.91) requires the association of clinical patterns and 2 repeated, unreactive and flat electroencephalographic (EEG) tracings. Blood and urinary samples also need to be free from any nervous system depressant drug, the patient has not to be hypothermic. These obligations are not always compatible with patients status or local organization. The consequence might be organ loss or delay in harvesting schedule. A review of the literature points out the trap in realization and analysis of EEG in this kind of intensive care patients. Angiogram, on the opposite, is influenced neither by nervous system depressant drug nor by hypothermia. As it is in some other western countries, it should be proposed as the reference.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brain Death / diagnosis*
  • Cerebral Veins / diagnostic imaging*
  • Electroencephalography
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • Radiography
  • Reproducibility of Results