Assessment of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in cerebrovascular disease using SPECT and N-isopropyl-p-[123I] iodoamphetamine (IMP)

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed in patients with cerebrovascular disease using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and N-isopropyl-p-[123I] iodoamphetamine (IMP). Twenty patients with cerebrovascular disease had both IMP brain perfusion and CT studies performed within seven days of each other except for three cases. Sixteen had positive and four had negative perfusion studies. Of the sixteen patients with positive perfusion studies, two had negative CT studies which were performed within eleven days after the onset of symptoms. In the fourteen patients with positive perfusion and CT studies, eleven of the studies revealed areas of perfusion defects that were larger than the areas of low-density on the CT studies. Of the four patients with normal perfusion studies, one had a positive CT study showing small lacunar infarcts, which were beyond the resolution of SPECT. Ragional CBF was also assessed in ten patients using 133Xe arterial infusion method. Relationship between IMP hemispheric uptake count (y) and mean CBF (x) was examined. Good correlation coefficient was obtained; r = 0.73 (P<0.025), y = 2.37x - 22.75. SPECT with IMP and measurement of IMP hemispheric uptake count were simple and clinical use to assess rCBF in patients with cerebrovascular disease. (author)