Positron emission tomography demonstrated localized luxury perfusion in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on two patients in different stages of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and compared with the concurrent computed tomography (CT) findings and clinical status. Case 1, which was in stage II, showed luxury perfusion in the anterior half of the cerebrum and decreases of cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism in the right frontal watershed zone, where CT showed low density. Case 2, which was in stage III, showed marked decreases of cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen in all regions except the occipital region. The present PET study demonstrated that SSPE showed inflammatory-destructive progression and rostral-caudal progression. Further, it was suspected that low density on CT scan, especially in the watershed zone, resulted partly from disturbances in cerebral circulation.