RISA cisternography as a routine procedure in neurological patients

Abstract Radioactive Iodinated Serum Albumin (RISA) was given intrathecally to 83 neurological and neurosurgical patients. In order to evaluate the distribution of RISA in the subarachnoid space and its disappearance from it, AP and lateral brain scans were performed after 4, 24 and 48 h, and in some cases after 5 days. This method was called RISA cisternography by Di Chiro et al. (1964). This paper reports on 100 consecutive examinations by this method. The results of the investigation contributed significantly to diagnosis in patients with communicating hydrocephalus and with some other kinds of presenile dementia, in post-traumatic conditions and in other patients suffering from local obstruction or dilatation of the subarachnoid space. Eighteen patients without definite intracranial pathology or obstruction of the spinal subarachnoid space, showed pictures considered to be normal. Sterile meningitis developed in 3 patients, and 3 other patients showed brief transient pyrexia without subjective complaints. There are reasons to suppose that these complications can be avoided if the RISA is used within 6 days of delivery.