Red cerebral veins and the cerebral steal syndrome

✓ The circulation through an arteriovenous malformation and the microcirculation of the surrounding brain were examined during craniotomy by fluorescein angiography and by microregional blood flow measurements using xenon 133 and Neohydrin-Hg 197 . The evidence indicates that occluding the arterial supply to the angioma obliterated the cerebral steal by reducing the shunt or non-nutritional flow and improving the perfusion flow through the cortical microcirculation. The features characterizing the cerebral steal syndrome are described.