RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF BRAIN SCINTIGRAPHY IN 116 DOGS AND CATS

performed a retrospective study of 100 dogs and 16 cats with planar br ain scintigraphy and histopathologically established diagnoses from a total of 485 studies performed from 1976 to 1992. Necropsy (112) or su rgical biopsies (4) diagnoses were categorized in two ways: first as f ocal brain disease, diffuse brain disease or normal; second as either neoplastic, non-neoplastic or normal. A radiologist reviewed brain sci ntigrams and categorized the studies as focal areas of increased accum ulation, diffuse or poorly localized areas of increased accumulation, or normal. We calculated for this population of 116 animals that focal brain scintigrams had 75% sensitivity and 90% specificity for any foc al brain disease. The sensitivity and specificity of a focal scintigra phic lesion for a brain tumor was 72% and 82% respectively. The sensit ivity and specificity of a diffuse or poorly localized scintigraphic l esion as a test for diffuse brain disease was 40% and 88% respectively .