Detecting abnormal regional cerebral blood flow in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome by technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography of the brain--a preliminary report.

Technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (Tc-99m ECD) brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was used to detect abnormal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 32 female patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) showing definite neuropsychiatric symptoms/signs and normal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. It demonstrated hypoperfusion brain lesions in 18 (56.3%) of the patients, most frequently in the parietal lobes, and appears to be a sensitive tool for this clinical application.