Published February 2002 | Version v1
Journal article

Significance of rCBF level determined by 99Tcm-ECD SPECT to the evaluation of the therapeutic effects and of the prognosis predicting for persistent vegetative state patients

  • 1. Navy General Hospital, Beijing (China). Dept. of Hyperbaric Oxygen

Description

Objective: To observe the infusion state of cerebral blood flow in persistent vegetative state (PVS) patients and its significance to the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and medical treatment and to the prognosis predicting. Methods: Twenty-six patients with PVS received regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) examination with 99Tcm -ethylcysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT, 9 of the 26 cases underwent a dynamic study. Results: All of the 26 cases were with abnormal cerebral blood flow level. Some abnormal rCBF areas were concordant with the changes on brain CT or MRI, but some were not. As PVS recovered, improvement of rCBF or complete return to normal were also observed. Conclusions: rCBF determined with 99Tcm-ECD SPECT is a safe and reliable modality, which not only can directly reflect the level of cerebral blood flow and serve as a supplementary work-up to brain CT and MRI, but also can be used to monitor the effect of HBO and medical treatment for PVS and to predict the prognosis

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Chinese Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Journal Volume
22
Journal Issue
1
Journal Page Range
p. 12-13
ISSN
0253-9780