Cerebral blood flow patterns using single photon emission computed tomography in patients with dissociative disorders and healthy controls

ABSTRACT

To compare the cerebral blood flow [CBF] changes in patients diagnosed to have Dissociative Disorder with healthy controls. Cross Sectional Comparative study. The study was done in the Department of Psychiatry Military Hospital Rawalpindi in collaboration with Nuclear Medical Centre [NMC] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [AFIP], a tertiary care centre of Pakistan Armed Forces from Dec 2004 to May 2005. This cross sectional comparative study was done at Dept of Psychiatry Military Hospital Rawalpindi in collaboration with nuclear Medical Centre [NMC], at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [AFIP] which is a tertiary referral center. A sample of 30 patients diagnosed as having Dissociative Disorder was compared with 10 controls for brain perfusion changes using TC-99m HMPAO [Hexamethyl-propylene-amine-oxime] Tc-99m. In group 1 perfusion changes were observed in 27 [90%] cases whereas unremarkable and insignificant changes were noted in 3 [10%] cases but no perfusion were noted in controls [P< 0.001] In patients who were suffering from different types of dissociative disorder marked cerebral hypoperfusion was observed in frontal, frontomotor, orbitofrontal and temporal regions whereas hyperperfusion was noted in frontal and orbitofrontal areas in few cases. Cerebral blood flow changes in the fronto parietal brain are associated with symptomotology in dissociative disorders