BRAIN-TUMOR EVALUATION USING RB-82 AND POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY

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  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 23  (6) , 532-537
Abstract
Positron emission tomography of the brain with 75-s Rb-82 obtained from a portable generator (25-day Sr-82 .fwdarw. Rb-82) was used to evaluate the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in patients with brain tumors. Rb is normally excluded from the CNS by the intact BBB, but when the BBB is disrupted by a tumor, Rb enters and pools in the extravascular spaces of the CNS. Since Rb is also rapidly cleared from the blood, a high tissue-to-blood ratio of the Rb-82 tracer is achieved in regions of BBB disruption after i.v. injection. With dynamic positron emission tomographic imaging, the extravasation of the Rb tracer can be evaluated independently of the intravascular Rb concentration, and very small changes in the BBB permeability can be detected. This technique is a promising method for evaluation of the BBB integrity in brain-tumor patients.