Heterogeneity of cerebral blood flow: a fractal approach.
OBJECTIVE
We demonstrate the heterogeneity of regional cerebral blood flow using a fractal approach and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).


METHODS
Tc-99m-labelled ethylcysteine dimer was injected intravenously in 10 healthy controls and in 10 patients with dementia of frontal lobe type. The head was imaged with a gamma camera and transaxial, sagittal and coronal slices were reconstructed. Two hundred fifty-six symmetrical regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn onto each hemisphere of functioning brain matter. Fractal analysis was used to examine the spatial heterogeneity of blood flow as a function of the number of ROIs.


RESULTS
Relative dispersion (= coefficient of variation of the regional flows) was fractal-like in healthy subjects and could be characterized by a fractal dimension of 1.17 +/- 0.05 (mean +/- SD) for the left hemisphere and 1.15 +/- 0.04 for the right hemisphere, respectively. The fractal dimension of 1.0 reflects completely homogeneous blood flow and 1.5 indicates a random blood flow distribution. Patients with dementia of frontal lobe type had a significantly lower fractal dimension of 1.04 +/- 0.03 than in healthy controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Within the limits of spatial resolution of SPECT, the heterogeneity of brain blood flow is well characterized by a fractal dimension. Fractal analysis may help brain scientists to assess age-, sex- and laterality-related anatomic and physiological changes of brain blood flow and possibly to improve precision of diagnostic information available for patient care.
Kuikka
J T
JT
Department of Clinical Physiology, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. jkuikka@uku.fi
Hartikainen
P
P
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine