The relation between crossed cerebellar blood flow and severities of hemiplegia: a technetium-(99m) hexamethylpropylene amine oxine SPECT study using Patlak plot method.

Crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD), decrease in crossed cerebellar blood flow (CCBF) (ml/100g/min), is often observed in the cerebral blood flow imaging of hemiplegic patients. We studied the relations between severities of hemiplegia and degrees of CCD. Severities of hemiplegia were evaluated by Brunnstrom stages (Br. stage) of lower limbs. Degree of CCD was evaluated as CCBF and asymmetry index (ASI) (%) of CCBF, which were calculated from technetium-(99m) hexamethylpropylene amine oxine ((99m)Tc HMPAO) SPECT study using Patlak plot method (Matsuda et al. 1992, 1993). We have studied twenty consecutive patients. The CCBF was significantly different between Br. stage II and IV (p = 0.0357), III and IV (p < 0.001) and III and V (p < 0.001). ASI was significantly different between II and IV (p = 0.0357), III and IV (p < 0.001) and III and VI (p = 0.0238). Both of CCBF and ASI of the group of II and III were significantly lower than those of the group of IV, V and VI (p = 0.0033 for CCBF and p = 0.0087 for ASI). We conclude that this study indicate a close correlation between the sevreties of hemplegia and the degrees of CCD.