To investigate the effects of internal jugular vein thrombosis on intracranial circulation system.

Forty Japanese white rabbits were divided into left jugular vein thrombosis group (left group), right jugular vein thrombosis group (right group), bilateral jugular vein thrombosis group (bilateral group) and sham group randomly. Ten rabbits were in each group. The thrombus model was established by blocking blood flow, damaging the intima and injecting thrombin. The model was established successfully by cervical color Doppler ultrasonography. Internal jugular vein diameter of the affected side was measured before and after thrombosis. Flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery was measured by transcranial Doppler within 72 h postoperatively. One week after the operation, cerebral angiography was performed to observe the changes of intracranial venous outflow pathway. The frontal lobe tissues of the affected side were taken for HE staining to observe the pathological changes after the death.

Compared with the sham group, the anterior cerebral artery flow velocity was increased immediately after operation (P<0.05) and reached maximum at 24 h (P<0.05), then decreased to normal level at 48 h (P>0.05) in left and right group. DSA showed that the healthy internal jugular vein was the main outflow channel of intracranial venous blood. Flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery increased remarkablely (P<0.05) and reached peak at 24 h (P<0.05), then decreased slowly, and keeping high level at 72 h (P<0.05) in bilateral group. DSA suggested that the vertebral venous plexus began to develop as a hidden compensatory channel. Compared with pre-operation, there was no significant difference in anterior cerebral artery flow velocity at each time point in the sham group (P>0.05).

Internal jugular vein thrombosis affects both intracranial artery and venous circulation. It can lead to poor intracranial venous return and compensatory acceleration of anterior cerebral artery blood flow velocity.