title: Evaluation of vasospasm secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage with technetium-99m-hexamethyl-propyleneamine oxime (HM-PAO) tomoscintigraphy.
abstract: Vasospasm of intracranial vessels is difficult to diagnose on clinical ground alone. Still, a clear diagnosis is important because it can impact on surgical timing; and also because it can help evaluate new treatments. Fifteen patients with sub-arachnoid hemorrhage secondary to aneurysm rupture were submitted to a total of 26 tomographic technetium-99m-hexamethyl-propyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HM-PAO) brain examinations that were correlated with temporally close (generally less than 24 hr) angiography or transmission computed tomography (TCT). Nine of 10 angiographically confirmed episodes of spasm and 6 of 6 infarcts seen on angiography or TCT were correctly diagnosed with 99mTc-HM-PAO. One normal scintigraphic exam was angiographically doubtful, one positive 99mTc-HM-PAO study was normal on angiography (sub-radiologic spasm?), one technically poor scintigraphy was positive for spasm on angiograms, and eight exams were normal for spasm with all modalities. We had agreement between tests in 23 of 26 series of exams (88%) obtained in 15 patients. We think that 99mTc-HM-PAO tomography should be useful for the evaluation of patients with suspected vasospasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Notre-Dame Hospital, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Soucy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lamoureux
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lamoureux
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danais
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime