Technetium 99m Pertechnetate Brain Scanning

$^{99m}Tc$ Pertechnetate를 사용(使用)한 뇌(腦)스캐닝

Technetium 99m pertechnetate brain scanning were performed in 3 cases of head injury (2 chronic subdural hematomas and 1 acute epidural hematoma), 2 cases of brain abscess and I case of intracerebral hematoma associated with arteriovenous anomaly. In all the cases brain scintigrams showed "hot areas." Literatures on radioisotope scanning of intracranial lesions were briefly reviewed. With the improvement of radioisotope scanner and development of new radiopharmaceuticals brain scanning became a safe and useful screening test for diagnosis of intracranial lesions. Brain scanning can be easily performed even to a moribund patient without any discomfort and risk to the patient which are associated with cerebral angiography or pneumoencephalography. Brain scanning has been useful in diagnosis of brain tumor, brain abscess, subdural hematoma, and cerebral vascular diseases. In 80 to 90% of brain tumors positive scintigrams can be expected. Early studies were done with $^{203}Hg$-Neohydrin or $^{131}I$-serum albumin. With these agents, however, patients receive rather much radiation to the whole body and kidneys. In 1965 Harper introduced $^{99m}Tc$ to reduce radiation dose to the patient and improve statistical variation in isotope scanning.