Patient Preparation
- Upon patient arrival in nuclear medicine, install an iv line to inject the tracer.
- Let the patient stay quietly in bed in a room with deem lights, eyes open and not talking to anybody for about 15 min before injection.
- The brain spect can be performed after Wisconsin test. This is a neuropsychological test useful to assess executive functions such as cognitive, memory, attention and visual procesess, which are based mostly in the frontal lobes. It has been demonstrated that perseverative errors during the test are more specific.
- Vasodilation test with
acetazolamide should be done 20 min before injecting the radiotracer.References:
1 Quirce R. and Carril J.M. Spect y PET en la enfermedad cerebrovascular, p: 437-447 in: Medicina Nuclear Aplicaciones Clínicas. Eds: I. Carrio - P. González. Editorial Masson, Barcelona España, 2003.
2 Juni Jack E et al. Procedure Guideline for Brain Perfusion Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) Using Tc-99m Radiopharmaceuticals. SOCIETY OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE PROCEDURE GUIDELINES MANUAL 2.0, p: 105-110; 2001-2002.