Technetium-99m-HMPAO brain SPECT in anorexia nervosa

Eating disorders have been redefined in recent years. Brain imaging techniques are useful in demonstrating the association between the morphologic and the functional cerebral changes in these cases. We report 99mTc-HMPAO brain SPECT findings in two patients with anorexia nervosa, before and after the treatment. While the detailed neurologic and laboratory examinations, including EEG and cranial CT, were within normal limits before therapy, SPECT study revealed diffuse bilateral hypoperfusion in frontal, parietal and frontotemporal areas which was more prominent in the left hemisphere. Post-treatment SPECT studies obtained after a clinical remission period of 3 mo showed normal brain perfusion in both patients. The pre- and post-treatment SPECT studies accurately reflect the functional state of the patients, and this technique may be used to follow-up the effect of treatment and predict the clinical response to therapy in patients with eating disorders.