Dynamic Radioisotope Study with a Gamma Camera-VTR System

Recent advances in refinements of instrumentation, in improvement of scanning technique and data processing, and in development of appropriate radioisotope preparations with a short half-life, have made the radioisotoiic studies of the brain a reliable diagnostic and investigative took whicl is indispensable in the field of neurosurgery. The use of a gamma-ray scintillation camera and a short-lived radioisotope permits the dynamic study of an isotope bolus as it traverses the normal and pathologic focus in the brain. Vascular phases of the scintigrams are stored and replayed by the use of a video-tape system. Following this, the time-lapse scintiphotography and the use of a memory system make possible the digital assessment of the time course of regional radioactivity in multiple areas in the brain. More recently, a gamma camera have been used for the purpose of blood flow and perfusion analysis of the brain, and these have often proved to be a useful adjunctive technique in the clinical as well as research studies in the selected cases. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the recent experiences of radioisotopic studies with a gamma camera and a video-tape system, and to evaluate their clinical implications.