Visualization of damaged brain tissue after ischemic stroke with cobalt-55 positron emission tomography.
In animal experiments, the radionuclide 55Co2+ has been shown to accumulate in degenerating cerebral tissue similar to Ca2+.


METHODS
The potential role of 55Co2+ for in vivo brain PET imaging was investigated in four patients after ischemic stroke.


RESULTS
PET showed uptake of 55Co2+ in damaged brain tissue irrespective of blood-brain barrier integrity, as affirmed by CT and MRI.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary results indicate that 55CoCl2 may prove to be a useful and relatively inexpensive PET radiopharmaceutical for visualization of degenerative processes in brain tissue.
Jansen
H M
HM
Department of Biological Psychiatry, Neurology, PET-Research Center, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
Pruim
J
J
vd Vliet
A M
AM
Paans
A M
AM
Hew
J M
JM
Franssen
E J
EJ
de Jong
B M
BM
Kosterink
J G
JG
Haaxma
R
R
Korf
J
J
D000368:Aged; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes