Indication of recanalization therapy in acute ischemic stroke determined by quantitative evaluation of cerebral blood flow by SPECT

Recanalization of occluded vessels has been attempted for the treatment of acute hemispheric ischemic stroke, but increases the risk of hemorrhage. The purpose of this study is to determine the indications for recanalization therapy in acute ischemic stroke by quantitative evaluation of cerebral blood flow by SPECT. We studied retrospectively the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measured by 99mTc-HM-PAO SPECT before treatment and the radiological final outcome in 9 patients, who had hemispheric ishemic strokes and underwent successful recanalization of the occluded artery by endovascular technique within 6 hours after onset. A noninvasive method described by Matsuda et al (Patlak plot) was used for the quantitative measurement of rCBF with SPECT. The results showed that the low value of rCBF before treatment correlated with the development of infarction after recanalization. When recanalization was achieved between 2 and 6 hours after onset, the critical level of rCBF to develop infarction was 25-30 ml/100 g/min. Despite early recanalization, one patient with a significant rCBF defect suffered from hemorrhagic transformation after recanalization. The measurement of rCBF by 99mTc-HM-PAO SPECT is available for emergent cases and is very useful to determine the extent and the degree of ischemic insult in acute ischemic strokes. Our data indicate that if the residual rCBF, measured by SPECT, is over 25 ml/100 g/min, emergent recanalization therapy should be considered, while on the other hand, if the residual rCBF is severely reduced (below 20 ml/100 g/min), acute recanalization is contraindicated to avoid fatal hemorrhagic transformation. A prospective study to enhance our preliminary results is needed. (author)