[Neurological applications of single photon emission tomoscintigraphy]

Brain single photon emission tomography is a functional imaging modality in constant evolution. Tracers belong to 4 categories; blood pool tracers, perfusion tracers, ligands of receptors, "metabolic" tracers. Examination conditions must be accurately described since they may cause specific cerebral activation. The interpretation must be done in comparison with a morphological examination (CT or NMR). Cerebrovascular diseases, temporal lobe epilepsy and dementia were the first domains of application. Now many studies concentrate on cerebral cognitive or pharmacological activation procedure before the tracer injection to capture an aspect of the brain functioning. It is mandatory to clearly state what is expected from the examination: an answer for a given patient and a specific question or a study of an homogeneous group of patients. In order to yield relevant results, such studies must rely on a rigorous methodology.