This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

Kjeld Hougaard, MD; Tadato Oikawa, MD; Edda Sveinsdottir, MD; Erik Skinhøj, MD; D. H. Ingvar, MD; Niels A. Lassen, MD

Arch Neurol. 1976;33(8):527-535.

Abstract
• Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was studied in ten patients with focal cortical epilepsy. The blood flow was measured by the intra-arterial injection of xenon 133 (¹³³Xe), and the isotope clearance was recorded by a multidetector scintillation camera with 254 detectors. Three patients were studied both during a seizure and (in the same setting) in the interictal period; six patients were studied only in the interictal period, and one patient was studied only during a seizure.

Studies during seizures all showed marked flow increases in areas presumed to participate in the seizure activity. This finding accords with earlier studies. All nine patients studied in the interictal phase showed, either spontaneously or during activation by intermittent light, focal flow increases in areas presumed to comprise the epileptic focus. These interictal hyperemic foci probably reflect subictal neuronal hyperactivity in epileptogenic nervous tissue.

Only two of the patients had distinct epileptic electroencephalographic foci. It appears that rCBF studies can be a valuable diagnostic tool in the investigation of cortical epileptogenic lesions.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Clinical Physiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Dec 18, 1975.

Reprints not available.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The Relative Localizing Value of Interictal and Immediate Postictal SPECT in Seizures of Temporal Lobe Origin
Oommen et al.
JNM 2004;45:2021-2025.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Identifying Epileptic Foci on Contrast-Enhanced Computerized Tomographic Scans
Oakley et al.
Arch Neurol 1979;36:669-671.
ABSTRACT  

Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Aphasia
Soh et al.
Arch Neurol 1978;35:625-632.
ABSTRACT  

Regional Cerebral Blood Flow and EEG in Patients With Epilepsy
Sakai et al.
Arch Neurol 1978;35:648-657.
ABSTRACT  

Symptomatic Intracranial Steal
Hachinski et al.
Arch Neurol 1977;34:149-153.
ABSTRACT