Ten patients with small supratentorial tumours were studied during craniotomy. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in the contralateral hemisphere by a modification of the Kety and Schmidt technique using xenon-133 i.v. With an Althesin infusion rate of 0.2 ml kg-1 h-1, CBF was 24.4 +/- 5.4 ml min-1/100 g and CMRO2 1.87 +/- 0.44 ml min-1/100 g at PaCO2 4.1 +/- 0.7 kPa (mean +/- SD). During constant infusion rates of Althesin, steady values of CMRO2 were obtained, while an increase in infusion rate of 150% was associated with an increase in plasma alphaxalone concentration, a decrease in CMRO2 and a tendency of further EEG suppression. However, great inter- and intraindividual variations were present, and correlations between CMRO2, EEG activity and plasma alphaxalone concentration were weak.