Evaluation of cerebral perfusion reserve using 5% CO2 and SPECT neuroperfusion imaging

Anatomic features of carotid artery stenosis, as defined angiographically, do not necessarily correlate with the hemodynamic significance of the narrowing. The concept of regional cerebral vasodilatory (or perfusion) reserve has been advocated as a means of defining the hemodynamic compromise associated with carotid lesions. We evaluated the feasibility of using SPECT imaging with 5% CO2 using I-123 IMP (N-isopropyl iodoamphetamine) or Tc-99m HMPAO (hexamethylpropylene amineoxime) to measure cerebral perfusion reserve. Imaging was performed on six asymptomatic subjects and one patient with a history of transient ischemic attacks but no evidence of carotid artery disease. A perfusion reserve index (PRI) was defined to represent the percent increase in blood flow during 5% CO2 breathing in regions supplied by the middle cerebral artery normalized for injected dose and changes in blood pressure. Significant increases in cerebral perfusion were seen in six of the seven subjects studied while breathing the 5% CO2 (P less than 0.01). The mean of the PRI values for the seven subjects was 32%, with a range of -5% to 58%. We conclude that SPECT imaging with IMP or HMPAO can be used to quantitatively measure the cerebral perfusion response to 5% CO2.