A comparative study of perfusion CT and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT measurement to assess cerebrovascular reserve capacity in patients with internal carotid artery occlusion

Background and purpose Patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion can demonstrate impaired cerebral vascular reserve (CVR). The detection of CVR using single photon emission CT (SPECT) is nowadays widely accepted as a predictor in the diagnostic pathway in patients considered for cerebral revascularization. Recently perfusion CT (PCT) gained widely acceptance in stroke imaging The present study was aimed at comparing the results of perfusion CT (PCT) and 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT with acetazolamide challenge in patients with ICA occlusion.