title: Regional brain perfusion in epileptic dogs evaluated by technetium-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer SPECT.
abstract: We evaluated the feasibility of interictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to detect alterations in regional cerebral blood flow and neuronal activity in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. Twelve dogs with idiopathic epilepsy underwent interictal technetium-99m-ethyl cysteinate dimer SPECT of the brain. Different cortical regions of interest (ROIs), 1 ROI at the cerebellum and 1 ROI at the subcortical area were evaluated by semiquantitative analysis and compared with a control group (18 dogs). Significant hypoperfusion (P = 0.02) was present in the subcortical area of epileptic dogs. This hypoperfusion was not associated with seizure frequency, age at onset of seizures, duration of epilepsy, or time since the last seizure. Interictal SPECT did not reveal cortical or cerebellar perfusion alterations. The subcortical area may play an important role in the pathophysiology of canine idiopathic epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. valentine.martle@ugent.be
authors.forename: Valentine
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martlé
authors.forename: Kathelijne
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peremans
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Audenaert
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vermeire
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhatti
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gielen
authors.forename: Ingeborgh
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polis
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Ham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004285:Dogs; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010477:Perfusion / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine