Korean J Nucl Med.
2003 Feb;37(1):1-12.
Clinical Application of SPECT and PET in CerebroVascular Disease
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. ysra@amc.seoul.kr
Abstract
- Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are modern imaging techniques that allow for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of hemodynamic changes in cerebrovascular diseases. SPECT has been becoming an indispensable method to investigate regional cerebral blood flow because equipment and isotope are easily available in most general hospitals. Acetazolamide stress SPECT has also been proved to be useful to evaluate the cerebrovascular reserve of occlusive cerebrovascular diseases and to select surgical candidate. PET has gained wide spread clinical use in the evaluation of the hemodynamic and metabolic consequences of extracranial or intracranial arterial obstructive disease despite its complexity and limited availability. PET has been established as an invaluable tool in the pathophysilogy investigation of acute ischemic stroke. The potentials, limitations, and clinical applications of SPECT and PET in various cerebrovascular diseases will be discussed in this article with reviews of literatures.
