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 MRI 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 lower in most regions analyzed during anesthesia with either fentanyl (with N2O/O2) or pentobarbital vs. isoflurane (with N2O/O2), in agreement with findings utilizing invasive measurement techniques. CBF was heterogeneous in rats anesthetized with isoflurane (with N2O/O2), but relatively homogeneous in rats anesthetized with either fentanyl (with N2O/O2) or pentobarbital, also in agreement with studies using other techniques. Magn Reson Med 46:202–206, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.