title: The effect of medetomidine on the regional cerebral blood flow in dogs measured using Technetium-99m-Ethyl Cysteinate Dimer SPECT.
abstract: Sedatives and anaesthetics are known to cause changes in the regional cerebral blood flow. In dogs intramuscular sedation with medetomidine, a potent sedative frequently used in veterinary medicine, is sometimes indicated prior to intravenous injection of (99m)Technetium-Ethyl Cysteinate Dimer ((99m)Tc-ECD) in brain perfusion studies using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). Based on the knowledge of the distribution of alpha(2)-receptors in the brain, we hypothesized altered regional brain perfusion in dogs receiving medetomidine prior to (99m)Tc-ECD. Two conditions were compared in 10 dogs; tracer injection before and after intramuscular sedation with medetomidine. In our study, medetomidine caused a significantly higher tracer uptake in all brain regions. Semi-quantification of brain perfusion rendered a lower perfusion index in the subcortical region and an imbalance between left and right cortical perfusion induced by medetomidine. This study shows that caution is needed when quantifying the brain perfusion indices under medetomidine sedation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Electronic address: tim.waelbers@ugent.be.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Waelbers
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopaedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peremans
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopaedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vermeire
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biometrics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duchateau
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medical Imaging and Small Animal Orthopaedics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185 K12, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dobbeleir
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185 K12, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Audenaert
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004285:Dogs; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D020926:Medetomidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine; D020926:Medetomidine