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Perfusion and spirometry improves significantly in patients with CPE after the lung decortication but function of the affected lung remains impaired. There was no influence of the age, gender, side of the disease, bacteriology or duration of the empyema before operation on lung function.

Summary: CBP was measured in 15 patients on chronic hemodialytic treatment. CBP was measured with xenon-133 inhalation using single photon emission tomography. In addition, computerized tomography (CT) and a neuro logical examination were done prior to hemodialysis. Mean CBP was 66.2 ± 17.3 (SD) ml 100 g-I min-I, which was significantly higher (t-test, p < 0.05) than for an age-matched control group (54.7 ± 10.2 ml 100 g-I min -I). However, the hematocrit for the patients was considerably lower, 0.30 ± 0.07, as compared to 0.43 ± 0.03 in the controls. A significant negative correlation was observed between CBP and the hematocrit (y = -1.79x + 120.7, r = -0.71, p < 0.01). Calculating CBP from this equation in the dialyzed patients using a hematAs focal or diffuse brain tissue damage is invari ably followed by a reduction in CBF, there are rea sons to expect a CBF decrease in patients on long term hemodialytic treatment. First, the renal dis ease itself may cause uremic encephalopathy (Olsen, 1961;Tyler, 1968), although today most pa tients will receive hemodialysis early in the course of their disease to prevent long-standing severe ure mia. Second, a severe progressive neurological syn drome called dialysis dementia evolves in a number of patients regularly treated with hemodialysis. The etiology of this syndrome was originally found to relate to a high aluminum content in the dialysate (Alfrey et aI., 1976;Alfrey, 1987). Lately, it has Received November 22, 1991; final revision received March 18, 1992; accepted March 18, 1992. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Sissel Vorstrup, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, 9, Blegdamsvej, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.Abbreviations used: CT, computed tomography; CM, can thomeatal (plane); Hct, hematocrit; PET, positron emission to mography. 745ocrit of 0.43 yielded a mean CBP value of 43.7 mlloo g-I min -I, i.e., 20% below the expected. Two patients showed a focal CBP decrease. CT showed central or cor tical atrophy in five patients, and two had small hypo dense lesions. The neurological examination revealed slight to moderate dementia in seven cases. Although mean CBP was found to be increased by 21% as com pared to the control group, an even higher CBP level would have been expected to outweigh the decreased ox ygen carrying capacity of the blood. The findings suggest a lowered metabolic demand of the brain tissue, probably due to subtle brain damage. Key Words: Anemia-CBP Hemodialysis.been suggested that even the moderately increased aluminum levels in the blood, often seen in these patients because of a high daily intake of aluminum containing phosphate-binding gels, may cause de mentia (Altmann et aI., 1989). Third, hypotensive episodes, arterial hypoxemia, and fluctuations in electrolytes and cerebral water content may occur during hemodialysis and cause subtle subclinical brain tissue damage (Savazzi et aI., 1985). Finally, the underlying process for the renal disease could cause brain damage and thereby decrease CBF. We therefore studied the in...

Parkinson's disease patients with dementia showed left temporo-parietal hypoperfusion as compared to a group of patients without dementia, which resembles perfusion deficits described in Alzheimer's disease. The hypoperfusion of the left temporal lobe with increase of rCBF within the left thalamus might be clinically useful in discrimination of Parkinson's disease patients with dementia against those without cognitive impairment.