PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to investigate the validity of perfusion MRI in comparison with stable xenon CT for evaluating regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). METHOD: The rCBF was measured by xenon CT and perfusion MRI within a 24 h interval in 10 patients (mean +/- SD age 63 +/- 10 years). For perfusion MRI, absolute values of rCBF were calculated based on the indicator dilution theory after injection of 0.1 mmol/kg of Gd-DTPA. Eight to 10 regions of interest (37 mm2) were located in the white and gray matter on the rCBF images for each of the 10 patients. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD values of rCBF in gray matter were 48.5 +/- 14.1 ml/100 g/min measured by xenon CT and 52.2 +/- 16.4 ml/100 g/min measured by perfusion MRI. In the white matter, the rCBF was 22.6 +/- 9.1 ml/100 g/min by xenon CT and 27.4 +/- 6.8 ml/100 g/min by perfusion MRI. There was a good correlation of rCBF values between perfusion MRI and xenon CT (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.83; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Comparable to xenon CT, perfusion MRI provides relatively high resolution, quantitative local rCBF information coupled to MR anatomy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Percutaneous injection of metrizamide into spinal cord cysts for preoperative diagnosis of syringomyelia.

Five cases of syringomyelia are reported in which the spinal cysts were percutaneously punctured and filled with metrizamide for preoperative diagnosis. There were no side effects from the puncture or the contrast medium. In all cases the cyst was larger than had been demonstrated by previous myelography. A communication to the fourth ventricle was seen in two cases. Four patients had surgical treatment; the neurologic deficits improved in two patients, while the condition of the others has remained unchanged.

Humans↗