title: Prognostic value of subacute crossed cerebellar diaschisis: single-photon emission CT study in patients with middle cerebral artery territory infarct.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although chronic-stage crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) is reported to be associated with the neurologic state or clinical improvement after infarct, the prognostic value of early-stage CCD remains controversial. Our aim was to determine whether measurements of CCD in the acute and subacute stages obtained at single-photon emission CT (SPECT) facilitate the prediction of stroke outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  The pattern of cerebral blood flow changes after the occurrence of acute middle cerebral artery ischemia with severe cortical symptoms was examined by using technetium 99m-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime ((99m)Tc-HMPAO) SPECT. Fifteen patients (mean age, 73 years +/- 8 [SD]) with unilateral ischemia were examined in the early subacute stage (10 days +/- 5). In 11 patients, SPECT was performed in both the acute (16 hours +/- 10) and subacute stages. From the total counts obtained from each cerebellar hemisphere, the asymmetry index (AI) was calculated as follows: [(value in unaffected hemisphere--value in affected hemisphere)/value in unaffected hemisphere] x 100. Clinical outcome (at 60 days) was assessed by means of the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) and Barthel Index (BI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  AIs in the acute stage and clinical outcome (ie, SSS and BI scores) showed no significant correlation, but the severity of AI in the early subacute stage correlated significantly with both the final SSS (r = -0.69; P <.01) and BI scores (r = -0.82; P <.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cerebellar hypoperfusion detected at (99m)Tc-HMPAO SPECT in the early subacute stage in patients with supratentorial infarct indicates a worse clinical outcome.
authors.affiliation: Division of Strokology, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine and Clinical Research, Osaka-Minami National Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takasawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashikawa
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Naokazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon