Use of 3-fluoro-deoxyglucose for the assessment of cerebral perfusion and glucose transport. II. Evaluation of patients undergoing EC-IC bypass surgery.

Dynamic positron emission tomography (dPET) and 3-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (3FDG) have been applied to the followup of selected patients undergoing extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery. To determine glucose transport across the blood-brain-barrier and local perfusion rate a new mathematical model has been used. Immediately following EC-IC surgery, dPET shows an increase in perfusion of approx. 7 ml/min 100g over both the operated and the contralateral hemispheres indicative of reversal of interhemispheric steal. Followup studies show reduction of local perfusion rate combined with an improvement of glucose transport rates. This finding suggests improvement of cerebral metabolic capacity following improvement of perfusion suggestive of longterm beneficial effects of EC-IC bypass.