A new method of regional cerebral blood flow measurement using one-point arterial sampling based on the microsphere model with N-isopropyl-p-[123I]-iodoamphetamine SPECT.

We developed a new method for quantitative measurement of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using one-point arterial sampling with N-isopropyl-p-[123I]-iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) based on the microsphere model. Although the conventional microsphere method requires both the continuous withdrawal of arterial blood (integral of Ca(t)) and treatment of the blood with octanol to obtain the fraction of true tracer activity in the integral of Ca(t) (N), the new method does not require these two procedures. We examined 14 patients to analyse the correlation between the integral of Ca(t)N and a small arterial sample obtained at one time point [one-point Ca(t)] after the injection of 123I-IMP without octanol treatment. The integral of Ca(t)N was calculated from one point Ca(t) using the regression line of the correlation. An error of 8.1% in the calculated value compared to the actual value of the integral of Ca(t)N, could be inferred from one-point Ca(t) obtained at 6 min after the injection. Then regional cerebral blood flow was measured by the method and a significant correlation was obtained with rCBF measured using the 133Xe inhalation method (r = 0.773). The one-point Ca(t) method provides fast, easy, accurate and non-invasive measurement of rCBF without inserting catheters and without treatment of arterial blood with octanol.