BRAIN

SCINTIGRAPH
Y
B Y: G U I YA N G C O , J E N N Y F E R
VILLAMOR, MARINEL
CHRISELLA

WHAT IS BRAIN
SCINTIGRAPHY?
A procedure in which a radioisotope is
administered IV and its distribution monitored
with a gamma camera. Brain scintigraphy
informs on the adequacy of blood flow to the
cerebral cortex, and detects abnormalities in the
brain before they can be detected by CT or MR
scans. Evaluation of strokes, transient ischaemic
attacks, seizure activity, organic brain disease,
tumours (especially if combined with SPECT).

A N ATO M Y OF T H E B RA IN
CORONAL VIEW

INFERIOR VIEW

MIDSAGITTAL VIEW

CLINICAL

I N D I C AT I O N

Detection and evaluation of cerebrovascular

disease

C O NT R AI N D I C AT I O N

Aid in the diagnosis and differential diagnoses

of suspected dementia

Detection of seizure focus

Pregnancy

Assessment of brain death

Evaluating suspected brain trauma

Neuropsychiatric disorders: Mood disorders,

evaluating and sub-typing attention-deficit
disorder

Breastfeeding (this should be

interrupted for 24 hours prior to
imaging)

Lack of cooperation

Substance abuse

Infection/inflammation

PATIENT PREPARATION
Patients should be instructed, if possible, to avoid
caffeine, alcohol or other drugs known to affect cerebral
flow (CBF).
The most important aspect of patient preparation is to
evaluate the patient for his/her ability to cooperate.
Achieve a consistent environment at the time of
injection intake:
I. Place the patient in a quiet, dimly-lit room.
II. Instruct the patient to keep his/her eyes and ears open
III. Ensure that the patient is seated or reclining
comfortably
IV. Place intravenous access at least 10 permit
accommodation
V. Instruct the patient not to speak or read.
VI. Have no interaction with the patient prior to, during or

PRECAUTIONS
Demented patients must be closely
monitored at all times
Patients with neurologic deficits may
require special care and monitoring
If sedation is required, it should be given
after injection of pharmaceutical, when
possible.

EQUIPMENT
Gamma Camera: SFOV preferred
Collimator: LEAP or High Resolution
Energy Window : 140 keV with 20% window

PATIENT POSITION
Supine

PROCEDURE
A cerebral radionuclide angiogram will be acquired
in the anterior projection unless imaging in another
projection is requested by the physician.
Immediate static "blood-pool" images will be
obtained in the anterior, right and left lateral, and
posterior views. Delayed static images will be
obtained no sooner than 1.5 hours following the
injection of the radiopharmaceutical.

NORMAL BRAIN MRI IMAGE

DISEASE

MENINGIOMA
The most common type of primary brain tumor
is the meningioma, a noncancerous tumor that
arises from the abnormal growth of the cells that
form the delicate outer covering of the brain,
called the meninges.

DEMENTIA
Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that
describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline
in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a
person's ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer's
disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Vascular
dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most
common dementia type. But there are many other conditions
that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are
reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
Dementia is often incorrectly referred to as "senility" or "senile
dementia," which reflects the formerly widespread but incorrect
belief that serious mental decline is a normal part of aging.

EPILEPSY
Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder
(neurological disorder) in which nerve cell activity
in the brain becomes disrupted, causing seizures
or periods of unusual behavior, sensations and
sometimes loss of consciousness.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) typically involves loss
of consciousness, loss of memory, alteration in
mental state, or focal neurological deficit.
Commonly, it is associated with headache,
impaired thought processes, memory problems,
attention deficit, mood swings and frustration.

ACUTE DESSEMONATED
ECEPHALOMYELITIS
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is
characterized by a brief but widespread attack of
inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that
damages myelin the protective covering of nerve
fibers. ADEM often follows viral or bacterial
infections, or less often, vaccination for measles,
mumps, or rubella. The symptoms of ADEM appear
rapidly, beginning with encephalitis-like symptoms
such as fever, fatigue, headache, nausea and
vomiting, and in the most severe cases, seizures and
coma. ADEM typically damages white matter (brain
tissue that takes its name from the white color of
myelin), leading to neurological symptoms such as
visual loss (due to inflammation of the optic nerve) in

END
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