Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Intracranial Tumors

ABSTRACT

Reginal cerebral blood flow was measured in 40 patients with intracranial tumors using 133 Xe-inhalation method ; 15 metastatic brain tumors, 11 meningiomas, 14 glioblastoma multiformes. While superficially located meningiomas usually revealed high cortical flow in the tumor area, metastatic brain tumors and glioblastoma multiformes showed low cortical flow. High flow in meningiomas may be related to the vascular proliferation on the tumor surface, low flow in metastatic brain tumors and glioblastoma multiformes may be result from surrounding brain edema. Measurement of rCBF can afford differential diagnostic information in meningiomas, but study is needed further in differenting between metastatic brain tumors and glioblastoma multiformes.