title: Serial imaging in MELAS.
abstract: We report two patients with fatal mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 123I-N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine was more sensitive to the lesions than CT or MRI. SPECT showed focal hyperperfusion before or during the stroke and diffuse hypoperfusion of the brain, sparing the basal ganglia in the terminal stages. These findings support the theory that metabolic disturbance in the brain causes the "stroke" in MELAS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kusunoki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D020367:Iofetamine; D017241:MELAS Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D020367:Iofetamine