Tc-99m HMPAO/SPECT Determination of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Changes in Schizophrenics

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Abstract
Hypofrontality (hypometabolism and hypoperfusion) has been demonstrated in patients with schizophrenia by the use of several imaging methods, such as positron emission tomography (PET). In this study, Tc-99m hexamethylpropylene amineoxime (HMPAO) and SPECT were used to investigate regional blood flow changes in 20 schizophrenic patients (12 males and 8 females, aged 15—50 years) experiencing acoustic hallucinations. Tc-99m HMPAO (15-20 mCi) was injected intravenously, eight regions/hemisphere were drawn on transaxial sections, and tracer redistribution was calculated for each region. Frontal/occipital ratios (0.917 ± 0.045) and frontal/wholeslice ratios (0.984 ± 0.036) were determined for each patient. The patients had significantly lower frontal/occipital ratios (P < 0.0005) and lower frontal/wholeslice ratios (P < 0.01) in comparison to a normal group (11 cases).