Brain SPECT of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

SPECT imaging with I-123 IMP or Tc-99m HMPAO was performed in two patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to evaluate abnormalities in brain perfusion. In the first patient, there was decreased perfusion of the left frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. CT and MRI were negative. In the second patient, there was patchy perfusion and slightly decreased perfusion of the right hemisphere. MRI revealed slight brain atrophy and bilateral high intensity areas in the basal ganglia on T2 weighted images. Subsequent SPECT imaging revealed severely decreased perfusion of the entire brain. Subsequent MRI demonstrated severe brain atrophy.