Association of carotid artery atheromatous plaque types with cerebral perfusion.

Background: In an attempt to define the association of internal carotid artery atheromatous plaque morphology with potential cerebral ischaemia, we have investigated the relationship of different carotid plaque types with defects in cerebral perfusion.

Methods: In 130 patients requiring surgical correction of internal carotid artery stenoses greater than 70%, defects in cerebral perfusion due to both haemodynamic insufficiency and intracerebral vessel occlusion were identified using single photon emission computed tomography scans (SPECT). Carotid artery plaques in these patients were classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous based on preoperative Doppler Duplex Scanning and on the macroscopic characteristics of the plaques recorded by the surgeon during carotid endarterectomy, with sub-classification into potentially embolus-generating and non- embolus-generating plaques.

Combined cerebral blood flow effects of a cholinergic agonist (milameline) and a verbal recognition task in early Alzheimer's disease.

RU 35926/CI-979 (milameline) is a partial muscarinic agonist with promnestic effects in animal models. Preliminary animal studies suggest that this agent has the capacity to reverse cholinergic dysfunction and that it may impact on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). A total of 10 subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) of mild severity underwent high resolution split-dose single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) during performance of a verbal recognition and control task, both before and after 18 weeks treatment with melameline or placebo.

A high-resolution single photon emission computed tomography study of verbal recognition memory in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: In view of the recent technological advances and its ease of availability, we used single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to examine the performance of early Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects on a verbal recognition memory task.

Methods: Eighteen early AD and 10 matched healthy control subjects underwent split-dose (99m)Tc-HMPAO (Ceretec) SPECT using a verbal recognition memory and control task. SPECT images co-registered with MRI scans were used to determine relative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes in regions of interest.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours: correlation of F-FDG gamma camera-based coincidence positron emission tomography with CT for the assessment of treatment response--an AGITG study.

Background: Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are a rare subset of aggressive mesenchymal tumours specific to the gastrointestinal system. They are both locally aggressive and can metastasize. The aim of this analysis was to report on our experience of the utility of coincidence positron emission tomography (co-PET) based on an 18F-FDG gamma camera in assessing treatment response to imatinib using CT as the comparator and the final clinical outcome as the end point.

Regional cerebral blood flow deficits in mild Alzheimer's disease using high resolution single photon emission computerized tomography.

In spite of its wide availability, single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scanning is uncommonly used in the assessment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias. In light of recent advances in scanning protocols and image analysis, SPECT needs to be re-examined as a tool in the diagnosis of dementia. A total of 18 subjects with early AD and 10 healthy elderly control subjects were examined with high resolution SPECT during the performance of a simple word discrimination task.

Application of statistical parametric mapping to SPET in the assessment of intractable childhood epilepsy.

Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) quantification and analysis has been successfully applied to functional imaging studies of partial epilepsy syndromes in adults. The present study evaluated whether localisation of the epileptogenic zone (determined by SPM) improves upon visually examined single-photon emission tomography (SPET) imaging in presurgical assessment of children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE). The patient sample consisted of 24 children (15 males) aged 2.

Blunt trauma soft-tissue uptake on skeletal scintigraphy.

Muscle and soft-tissue uptake have been described numerous times in the literature in patients undergoing Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate skeletal scintigraphy following trauma. Many of these traumas range from electrical burns, intramuscular injections, sports-related trauma, and overexercising, to actual physical damage resulting in superficial bruising and skin discoloration. In this case the patient presented with continuing low back pain after falling down some stairs.