[The use of radionuclides, specifically positron-emission tomography, in the determination of the blood circulation and metabolism of the brain. Application in experimental cerebral embolism].

The introduction of positron emission tomography (PET) to study the cerebral circulation and metabolism is for the present the last step in the evolution of a technology which started 40 years ago with the gas clearance method developed by Kety and Schmidt. To study cerebral blood flow and metabolism in humans the steady state 15O method (Frackowiak et al., 1980) is widely used in different PET centers. We have used this method in experimental animals. The principles of the method and the mathematical models which are at the basis of the calculation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygen metabolism (cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen, CMRO2 and oxygen extraction ratio, OER) are relatively simple but during its application in vivo several problems arise as described. The steady state method of Frackowiak et al. allowed in our experiments the accurate measurement of cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism in anesthetized dogs. We have investigated the effect of experimental cerebral embolism in different series of experiments. Two different models of cerebral ischemia were assessed. In the first model focal ischemia was produced by infusing Sephadex particles (mean diameter 40 microns) into the left common carotid artery; in the second model an autologous blood clot (100 microliters) was injected into the left internal carotid artery. With both procedures the ischemia was practically limited to the ipsilateral hemisphere. Moreover in the two models the effects of ischemia were very reproducible. This is probably due to the good standardization of the embolization procedures. The results clearly indicate a differential effect of microembolization with particles and blood clot embolization, illustrating the importance of the technique used to produce cerebral embolization in experimental animals. PET offers possibilities for diagnosis of cerebral ischemia. At variance with the classical techniques for studying cerebral blood flow PET also allows simultaneous assessment of cerebral metabolism and to differentiate between brain tissue which is irreversible damaged and tissue which can be potentially salvaged. Therefore PET also offers new possibilities in clinical and experimental research. The reproducible effects obtained with the blood clot model, the metabolic cerebral effects of which are similar to those of clinical stroke, will allow to study the effect of different therapeutic approaches for stroke such as thrombolysis and calcium entry blockade.