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Normal Brain Perfusion Pattern of Technetium-99m-Ethylcysteinate Dimer in Children

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Division of Neuro-Pediatrics, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium

Correspondence: For correspondence or reprints contact: Christiaan Schiepers, MD, PhD, Department of Radiological Sciences, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, 14445 Olive View Dr., Sylmar, CA 91342.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the normal perfusion pattern of the pediatric brain with ^99mTc-ethylcysteinate dimer (^99mTc-ECD). Methods: Tomographic imaging was performed with a dedicated system with high sensitivity and resolution. Sixteen children, referred for brain imaging in the workup of seizure disorder, were included since they turned out negative after a 1-yr follow-up. A standardized brain presentation was obtained after reslicing and reorienting of the three-dimensional volumetric dataset. Results: Quantitative analysis did not reveal significant left-right uptake differences per patient. Three age clusters were investigated that showed differences in regional uptake, mainly a relatively increased uptake in basal ganglia, visual and motor cortex. An uptake ratio or perfusion index was calculated after normalization. Normal limits were established for the children in the three groups. Conclusion: Technetium-99m-ECD is a safe agent for children and should be the radiopharmaceutical of choice for brain perfusion studies because of favorable radiation dosimetry and stability. The age dependence of perfusion necessitates a database comparison before concluding that the observed perfusion pattern is normal.

Key Words: brain imaging • neuropediatrics • technetium-99m-ethylcysteinate dimer • cerebral blood flow

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				M. Wintermark, D. Lepori, J. Cotting, E. Roulet, G. van Melle, R. Meuli, P. Maeder, L. Regli, F. R. Verdun, T. Deonna, et al. Brain Perfusion in Children: Evolution With Age Assessed by Quantitative Perfusion Computed Tomography Pediatrics, June 1, 2004; 113(6): 1642 - 1652. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]