Summary
Vasogenic brain edema was induced in cats by cold injury (six animals), brain tumors (five animals), and brain abscesses (six animals). Water and electrolyte content, specific gravity, blood volume, and the amount of extravasated serum proteins were determined in small tissue samples taken from gray and white matter at various distances from the lesion. Edema was strictly confined to the white matter of the affected hemisphere and declined from the lesion to the more peripheral regions. It was characterized by the extravasation of serum proteins and an increase of water and sodium content with little or unpredictable changes of potassium and blood volume. The calculated sodium content of edema fluid varied between 129 and 135 μeq/ml, and serum protein content between 8.1 and 11.9 mg/ml. In all three types of edema, specific gravity and water content correlated closely with the same slope and intercept of the calculated regression (y=1.119–0.0011x,r=−0.91). The results obtained indicate that the main denominator of specific gravity of edematous white matter is water content and that this relationship is not significantly altered by variations of blood volume or serum protein content.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bodsch W, Hürter Th, Hossmann K-A (1982) Immunochemical method for quantitative evaluation of vasogenic brain edema following cold injury of rat brain. Brain Res 249:111–121
Bohl I, Wallenfang T, Bothe H-W, Schürmann K (1981) The effect of glucocorticoids in the combined treatment of experimental brain abscess in cats. Adv Neurosurg 9:125–133
Bothe H-W, Wallenfang T, Khalifa A, Schürmann K (1982) The relationship between brain edema, energy metabolism, glucose content and rCBF investigated by artificial brain abscess in cats. Adv Neurosurg 10:214–221
Clasen RA, Bezkorovainy A, Pandolfi S (1982) Protein and electrolyte changes in experimental cerebral edema. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 41:113–128
Ferszt R, Hahm H, Cervos-Navarro J (1980) Measurement of the specific gravity of the brain as a tool in brain edema research. Adv Neurol 28:15–26
Fujiwara K, Nitsch C, Suzuki R, Klatzo I (1981) Factors in the reproductibility of the gravimetric method for evaluation of edematous changes in the brain. Neurol Res 3:345–361
Gazendam J, Go KG, Van Zanten AK (1979) Composition of isolated edema fluid in cold-induced brain edema. J Neurosurg 51:70–77
Hossmann K-A, Wechsler W, Wilmes F (1979) Experimental peritumorous edema. Morphological and pathophysiological observations. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 45:195–203
Klatzo I (1967) Neuropathological aspects of brain edema. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 26:1–14
Klatzo I, Chui E, Fujiwara K, Spatz M (1980) Resolution of vasogenic brain edema. Adv Neurol 28:359–373
Klatzo I, Piraux A, Laskowski EJ (1958) The relationship between edema, blood-brain barrier and tissue elements in a local brain injury. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 17:548–564
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NI, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
Marmarou A, Poll W, Shulman K, Bhagavan H (1978) A simple gravimetric technique for measurement of cerebral edema. J Neurosurg 49:530–537
Marmarou A, Tanaka K, Shulman K (1982) An improved gravimetric measure of cerebral edema. J Neurosurg 56:246–253
Nelson SR, Mantz M-L, Maxwell JA (1971) Use of specific gravity in the measurement of cerebral edema. J Appl Physiol 30:268–271
Reulen HJ, Hadjidimos A, Schürmann K (1972) The effect of dexamethasone on water and electrolyte content and on rCBF in perifocal brain edema in man. In: Reulen HJ, Schürmann K (eds) Steroid and brain edema. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 239–252
Reulen HJ, Medzihradsky F, Enzenbach R, Marguth F, Brendel W (1969) Electrolytes, fluids and energy metabolism in human cerebral edema. Arch Neurol 21:517–525
Schuier FJ, Hossmann K-A (1980) Experimental brain infarcts in cats. II. Ischemic brain edema. Stroke 11:593–601
Shigeno T, Brock M, Shigeno S, Fritschka E, Cervos-Navarro J (1982) The determination of brain water content: microgravimetry versus drying-weighing method. J Neurosurg 57:99–107
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bothe, H.W., Bodsch, W. & Hossmann, K.A. Relationship between specific gravity, water content, and serum protein extravasation in various types of vasogenic brain edema. Acta Neuropathol 64, 37–42 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00695604
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00695604