Prediction of higher brain functional outcomes for patients with cerebrovascular disease before rehabilitation

This paper investigated the prediction of higher brain functional (HBF) outcomes for patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) based on cerebral blood flow (CBF) scintigraphy findings before rehabilitation. The study included 204 patients with CVD but no prior history of CVD, surgery, or practical rehabilitation in any other facilities. The effect of rehabilitation was evaluated by cognitive-Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score, which is also known as an HBF score, before and after rehabilitation. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) scintigraphy was performed using technetium 99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (99mTc-ECD) (600 MBq) before rehabilitation. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) value was achieved utilizing the Patlak plot method. The correlation between rCBF and HBF score was investigated utilizing Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The rCBF value from the affected side before rehabilitation tended to correlate positively with HBF score. The rCBF value from the affected side before rehabilitation tended to correlate with HBF score only after rehabilitation. The rCBF value measurement before rehabilitation using 99mTc-ECD may be useful to predict HBF outcomes for patients with CVD before rehabilitation. (author)