[Cerebral blood flow perfusion imaging by single photon emission computed tomography in patients with early syphilis].

OBJECTIVE

To study the cerebral blood flow perfusion imaging by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with early syphilis.

METHODS

SPECT was performed with (99m)Tc-ECD as imaging agent on 32 patients with early syphilis and 15 healthy controls. Visual analysis was made.

RESULTS

Disseminated patchy radioactive rarefection mainly in cerebral cortex, suggesting hypoperfusion of regional cerebral blood flow, was shown in all patients. In particular 14 patients displayed multi-regional obvious hypoperfusion patches: 6 in left frontal lobe, 3 in right frontal lobe, 7 in left parietasal lobe, 6 in right parietal lobe, 11 in left temporal lobe, 5 in right temporal lobe, 3 in left occipital lobe, 3 in left basal ganglia, 1 in cerebellum, and 1 in intrecerebral nucleus. No abnormality was found in the controls.

CONCLUSION

Cerebral blood flow abnormality exists in patient with early syphilis manifesting as patchy hypoperfusion in SPECT imaging.