The initiation of hemodialysis is associated with an accelerated decline of cognitive function
and an increased incidence of cerebrovascular accidents and white matter lesions.
Investigators have hypothesized that the repetitive circulatory stress of hemodialysis induces
ischemic cerebral injury, but the mechanism is unclear. We studied the acute effect of
conventional hemodialysis on cerebral blood flow (CBF), measured by [15 O] H 2 O positron
emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT). During a single hemodialysis …