Technetium-99m-HMPAO SPECT cerebral blood flow study in children with craniosynostosis.
Premature closure of cranial sutures (primary craniosynostosis) in children leads to characteristic skull deformities and prevents the constricted brain from growing normally. Although the cause remains unknown, several etiological factors have been cited. Recently, hypovascularity has been reported as a possible cause of craniosynostosis.


METHODS
In a prospective study regional cerebral blood flow studies were carried out with 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT in seven children with craniosynostoses. Five preoperative and six postoperative studies were conducted and the results correlated with radiological and surgical findings.


RESULTS
Preoperative studies revealed regional hypovascularity in the underlying cerebral hemisphere, corresponding to the fused sutures. Postoperative studies revealed disappearance of these perfusion defects in most cases, indicating normalization of perfusion following surgical decompression.


CONCLUSIONS
This study establishes the presence of cerebral hypovascularity in craniosynostoses and suggests that early surgery and release of craniostenosis is essential to achieve optimum perfusion and brain development.
Sen
A
A
Department of Nuclear Medicine, AIIMS and SBISR, New Delhi, India.
Dougal
P
P
Padhy
A K
AK
Bhattacharya
A
A
Kumar
R
R
Bal
C
C
Bajpai
M
M
Bharadwaj
M
M
Mitra
D K
DK
Basu
A K
AK
D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003393:Cranial Sutures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003398:Craniosynostoses / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime