Semiquantitative analysis of cerebral blood flow by means of 99Tcm-HMPAO SPECT in individuals before and after a high altitude Himalayan expedition.
Nine members of the 'Belgian Tibet Expedition 1991' underwent a 99Tcm-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) brain single photon emission computed tomographic study before and after their stay at high altitude. Cerebral and cerebellar activity were analysed in three circumference profiles, representing the lower, middle and upper transaxial sections of the brain. The count value of each volume element (VE) was normalized to the maximum cerebellar value. In order to compare individual regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) before and after the expedition, the relative differences in rCBF were calculated for each VE as: rel delta (%) = 100 x (value after expedition - value before expedition)/value before expedition. In 4/9 cases regional rel delta values were negative in most cortical regions; in 3/9 individuals nonsignificant changes were found and 2/9 climbers showed a positive rel delta value in most cortical regions. For the group as a whole there was (1) a mean decrease of 1.7% in global cortical CBF and (2) a significantly (P < 0.01) diminished rCBF was observed in both temporal and the left frontotemporal areas.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.
A
A
Jacobs
B
B
Keymeulen
E
E
Eeckhout
F
F
de Geeter
G
G
Somers
A
A
Bossuyt
D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D001530:Belgium; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009051:Mountaineering / Q000502:physiology*; 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