title: Determination of cerebral perfusion by means of planar brain scintigraphy and 99mTc-HMPAO in brain death, persistent vegetative state and severe coma.
abstract: A total of 24 patients with clinical evidence of brain death (n = 17), severe coma (n = 2; GCS approximately 3) and apallic syndrome (n = 4) underwent a comparative investigation with 99mTc-HMPAO brain scintigraphy, EEG, auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials. Accompanied by EEG and evoked potentials, brain scintigraphy enabled confirmation of cerebral death in 15/17 patients. In one case clinical examination and evoked potentials suggest brain death, but cerebral perfusion and EEG were normal ("brain stem death"). One patient with evidence of cerebral death in clinical examination, brain scintigraphy and evoked potentials, showed questionable focal EEG activity; however, autopsy revealed intravital autolysis of the entire brain. All patients with apallic syndrome and deep coma showed a distinct cerebral perfusion, but gross EEG abnormalities; evoked potentials were delayed or absent. Planar scintigraphy with 99mTc-HMPAO appears to be superior to neurophysiological techniques discriminating patients with agonal cerebral dysfunction from those with brain death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Münster, FRG.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Schlake
authors.forename: I G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Böttger
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Grotemeyer
authors.forename: I W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Husstedt
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brandau
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schober
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001926:Brain Death / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D003128:Coma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010091:Oximes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime