In order to sum up the clinical regularity of acupuncture anesthesia

serial observations on the flu-ctuation of cerebrospinal fluid pressure by means of a ventricular drainage tube were carried out duringinduction of acupuncture anesthesia or general anesthesia respectively in 18 patients with intracranialspace-occupying lesions. Recorded at the same time were the frontmastoid process rheocncephalogram andthe plethysmogram of the auricular lobule

while blood pressure at the upper arm by auscultation wasdetermined

so as to explore the possible factors that might bring an effect on the fluctuation of CSFpressure. Electro-acupuncture was applied for 20 minutes at the Jinmen and Taichong Points with the conti-nuous pulses of 80-100 Hz produced by a G-6805 electroacupuncture apparatus to induce anesthesia 0.1g of Phenobarbital and 0.3 mg of scopolamine were admin stered intramuscularly half an hour before ne-edling. General anesthesia was induced with a hyphotising doses of sodium pentothal and succinylcholi-ne (1 mg/kg body wt.). Of the acupuncture anesthesia group (6 cases) three experienced a drop in theCSF pressure

one showed no marked change while the other two had an elevated pressure of the CSF

the average being a decline of 17.0 mmH_2O. In the general anesthesia group (12 cases) all witnessed aa decrease in CSF pressure after the intra-venous administration of sodium pentothal

with an averageof 60.0 mmH_2O. While CSF pressure rose to various degrees following intra-venous administration ofsuccinylcholine

averaging 94 mmH_2O. Besides

the acupuncture anesthesia group showed an average in-crease of 3.6 mmHg of their mean arterial pressure

2.3mm average decrease of 0.11 ohm in cerebralresistance. In the general anesthesia group

the mean arterial pressure dropped on an average by 13.9mmHg

plethysmographic wave amplitude decreased by 2.5mm (average)

and cerebral resistance waslowered by an average of 0.02 obm after sodium pentothal was given i. v.

but an average elevation ofmean arterial pressure by 8.1 mmHg

an average lowering of the plethysmographic wave amplitude by1.5mm and an average increase of cerebral resistance by 0.02 ohm followed the administration of suc-cinylcholine i. v.

which postulate that the change in cerebral blood flow and the dilation and contractionof cerebral blood vessels are the primary causes that effect the rise or fall in CSF pressure.