Abstract
In this study we measured serum S-100 protein concentration using a monoclonal two-site immunoradiometric assay (Sangtec® 100 IRMA, Sweden) during the perioperative period in ten patients undergoing aortic arch replacement (AAR) and five patients undergoing resection of brain tumor (RBT) . In AAR patients, serum S-100 protein concentrations at the end of extracorporeal circulation (ECC) were significantly higher (remarkably high values) than those at post-anesthetic induction and pre-ECC, but promptly declined at 24 and 48hours after ECC. No AAR patients had apparent postoperative cerebral complications. In short, highly abnormal values immediately after ECC did not predict postoperative cerebral complications and neurological prognosis. In RBT patients close to S-100 levels were approximately within the normal range during the perioperative period and this group had no apparent cerebral complications postoperatively. We must conduct further studies to assess the clinical significance of S-100 protein changes by measuring its concentrations in patients with postoperative neurological complications.
