Abstract
In order to examine the clinical value of positron emission tomography (PET), we measured cerebral perfusion and oxygen metabolism using oxygen-15 labeled gas (O2, CO2, CO) produced by small cyclotron and the automated synthesis system (AMGS 01) . PET study was carried out using oxygen-15 continuous inhalation technique in 61 cases with various neurological diseases including cerebrovasculardisease (39 cases), dementia (6 cases), brain tumor (3 cases) and other neurological diseases (13 cases) . In all cases, the labeled gas was produced and delivered in a stable condition. Functional images of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), and cerebral blood volume (GB V) were calculated according to the oxygen-15 steady-state model. Visual interpretation of these functional images showed abnormal findings in 74% (CBF images), 30% (OEF images), 79% (CMROO2 image) and 10% (CBV image) of the total cases. Overall assessment for the clinical usefulness of this method was determined as follows; 28% as highly useful, 41% as useful, 31% as fairly useful. No adverse reaction was observed in this clinical trial. In conclusion, the automated synthesis system provided a stable delivery of oxygen-15 gas, and PET measurement of cerebral blood flow and oxygen metablism is a valuable technique not only for clinical diagnosis but also for understanding pathophysiology of various neurological diseases.
