Cerebral blood flow studies using N-isopropyl I-123 p-iodoamphetamine.

Twenty patients with stroke were studied for cerebral blood perfusion abnormalities using N-isopropyl I-123 p-iodoamphetamine (IMP) and rotating dual gamma camera emission computed tomography (ECT). After a single scan, multiple transverse, coronal and sagittal section images were reconstructed with a minicomputer. In eighteen patients, we determined the values of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the region of interest using an image. Transmission computed tomography (CT) studies were also performed on the same day. ECT showed cerebral perfusion abnormalities in all cases, while CT showed abnormalities in only 10 cases. This technique seems to be useful for evaluating the rCBF in the deep brain.