Single photon emission computed tomography study of regional cerebral blood flow in patients with hemispatial neglect.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the correlations between the occurrence and severity of neglect and the region, range or extent of the decrease in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).


METHODS
Nineteen dextromanual patients who were diagnosed as unilateral stroke clinically and hemispatial neglect by a neglect test battery received single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans.


RESULTS
On images, the damages of patients with neglect were seen most frequently in the frontal cortex, and then in turn in the parietal cortex, occipital cortex, temporal cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. Most patients with neglect had two or more regions damaged. The most significant region was temporal-parietal-occipital (TPO) junction. The correlation coefficient between rCBF and the severity of neglect was -0.34 (t = -1.5, P > 0.05), and that between the decrease percentage of rCBF and the severity of neglect was 0.34 (t = 1.47, P > 0.05). The correlation coefficients between the range, number of foci, the flow deficit size and the severity of neglect were 0.71 (t = 4.13, P < 0.01), 0.70 (t = 4.07, P < 0.01) and 0.64 (t = 3.40, P < 1.01), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The severity of neglect correlates with rCBF and the decrease percentage of rCBF insignificantly, but correlates positively with the range, number of foci and the flow deficit size significantly. Hemispatial neglect is caused by the damage of multiple sites and combined damage results in more severe neglect.
Yin
Yafu
Y
Department of Nuclear Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001.
Ren
Yan
Y
Li
Yaming
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon