Brain SPECT with Tc-99m HMPAO as a Diagnostic Tool for Brain Death

ABSTRACT

In the evaluation of brain function, clinical examination is used for the brain stem, and EEG for the other part of the brain. However, EEG may be falsely silent in some cases due to medical treatment and technical artifact, and not used easily at postoperative state due to opertion wound contamination. We studied the findings of Tc-99m HMPAO Brain SPECT in 9 cases, who were diagnosed as brain death by currently accepted criteria. With normal cerebral perfusion, the radionuclide activity is primarily intracranial, whereas with brain death it is limited to the scalp. Tc-99m HMPAO cerebral perfusion scintigraphy was, non-invasive and reliable method for the diagnosis of the cerebral circulation, safely before apnea test.