SERIAL SINGLE-PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING IN PATIENTSWITH CEREBRAL LUPUS DURING ACUTE EXACERBATION AND AFTER TREATMENT

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with [Tc-99m] HMPAO was performed sequentially every week in 4 patients with systemic lup us erythematosus (SLE), from the acute phase of neurologic involvement until normal cerebral blood flow (CBF) was detected by the scan, SPEC T accurately reflects central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities in pa tients with SLE and correlates with subsequent improvement, Correlated with the patients' rapid clinical improvement, the brain SPECT blood flow scan demonstrated homogeneous distribution in 1 to 9 weeks, In th ese four patients, the defect in CBF could be reversed by optimal trea tment, Brain SPECT blood flow scan mag be used as a biologic marker of pathologic activity in the brain of patients with SLE. (C) 1997 by El sevier Science Inc, All rights reserved.