Regional cerebral blood flow in a case of bromide psychosis

A case of bromide psychosis is described. A course of repeated measurements of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was followed, using the 133Xe inhalation method. At the first examination, when the serum bromide level was 45 mmol/1, the cerebral blood flow was reduced to about one-third of the normal. The regional flow pattern was also abnormal with low flows in frontal and parieto-occipital regions. Hemodialysis was performed with an overall improvement of the condition and a successive normalization of rCBF. The pronounced decrease of the cerebral blood flow, together with the positive effects of hemodialysis, seems to indicate that bromide psychosis is of a toxic origin and not an abstinence phenomenon.