Scanning with Positron-Emitting Radioisotopes: Aneurysm, Arteriovenous Malformation and Intracerebral Hemorrhage*

p OSITRON-EMITTING isotopes arsenic-74 and copper-64 are used to perform radioisotopic brain scans at the Massachusetts General Hospital. :From 1958 to 1963 a total of 61 scans was done on 55 patients with confirmed diagnoses of aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, and subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage (Table 1). I n this report the appearance of the scan, the degree of neurologic deficit, the interval of time from onset of symptoms to scan, and the angiographic and pathologic findings are correlated. In a companion paper, 23 the findings were reported in 146 cases of occlusive cerebral vascular disease studied similarly. Previous reports of radioisotopic brain scans in patients with aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation, and subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage are summarized in Table 2. Our report in 1959 ~9 included As TM scans in 7 of 12 patients with demonstrated aneurysms and 2 norinal Cu 64 studies. Paul and Bottei'ell ~4 reported a positive scan with As 74 in a patient with a vertebral arterial aneurysm, but there was "some question as to the boundary of concentrat ion." With radioactive iodinated serum albumin (RISA) Planiol and Gauthier ~5 reported 3 positive studies in 13 cases of "arterial aneurysms" but size and location of the aneurysm and neurologic status were not indicated. Di Chiro s noted an abnormal scan in a case of aneurysm of the internal carotid artery. ~'VfcAfee and Taxdal is found the procedure of