Position of perfusion scintigraphy in the diagnostic strategy of cerebral circulatory disturbances and tumors

The results of an evaluation of the perfusion scintigraphy findings of 350 hospitalized neurological patients and 55 more strictly selected neurosurgical patients with cerebrovascular complaints, revealed an accuracy of 83%, a sensitivity of 89%, and a specificity of 83%. The selection of patients had no influence on the results as a whole. Compared with contrast medium angiography, incorrect diagnosis must be expected in 17% of the cases with 10% being false negative. Causes for misinterpretation are suggested, and biological and methodological limitations of the method are discussed. (author)