• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 1998

A robust algorithm to disclose and display the difference of ictal and interictal perfusion may facilitate the detection of ictal hyperfusion foci. Diagnostic performance of localizing epileptogenic zones with subtracted SPECT images was compared with the visual diagnosis using ictal and interictal SPECT, MR, or PET. Ietal and interictal Tc-99m-HMPAO cerebral perfusion SPECT images of 48 patients(pts) were processed to get parametric subtracted images. Epileptogenic foci of all pts were diagnosed by seizure free state after resection of epileptogenic zones. In subtraction SPECT, we used normalized difference ratio of pixel counts(ictal-interictal)/interictal ${\times}100%$) after correcting coordinates of ictal and interictal SPECT in semi-automatized 3-dimensional fashion. We found epileptogenic zones in subtraction SPECT and compared the performance with visual diagnosis of ictal and interictal SPECT, MR and PET using post-surgical diagnosis as gold standard. The concordance of subtraction SPECT and ictal-interictal SPECT was moderately good(kappa=0.49). The sensitivity of ictal-interictal SPECT was 73% and that of subtraction SPECT 58%. Positive predictive value of ictal-interictal SPECT was 76% and that of subtraction SPECT was 64%. There was no statistical difference between sensitivity or positive predictive values of subtraction SPECT and ictal-interictal SPECT, MR or PET. Such was also the case when we divided patients into temporal lobe epilepsy and neocortical epilepsy. We conclude that subtraction SPECT we produced had equivalent diagnostic performance compared with ictal-interictal SPECT in localizing epileptogenic zones. Additional value of these subtraction SPECT in clinical interpretation of ictal and interictal SPECT should be further evaluated.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.244-250
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• 1992

Both interictal and ictal $^{99m}Tc-HMPAO$ brain SPECT were performed in 22 patients with medically intractable epilepsy. Localization of epileptic foci in our patients was made by combined results of EEG and other tests, including Wada test, magnetic resonance imaging, and neuropsychometric test. Among them, ictal $^{99m}Tc-HMPAO$ SPECT, localized epilptic foci in 20 of 22 patients and provided evidence of epileptic focus in 12 patients by demonstrating maximally increased regional cerebral perfusion (rCP) in epileptic foci during the ictal study with decreased rCP in interictal study. Ictal $^{99m}Tc-HMPAO$ SPECT was particularly useful for investigating epileptic foci, and when correlated with simultaneously recorded ictal EEG, provided further insight for localizing epileptic foci. Conclusively, $^{99m}Tc-HMPAO$ SPECT is. a useful, noninvasive method of localizing epileptic activity which may be particularly important for presurgical investigations, especially in those patients without large morphological lesions.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2001

Purpose: Cortical dysplasia (CD) designates a diverse group of malformations resulting from one or more abnormalities in the development of the cerebral cortex. We investigated the findings of interictal SPECT and the diagnostic usefulness of interical and ictal SFECT according to pathological grading (PG) in comparison with MRI. Materials and Methods: This study included 16 patients (M:F=9:7, age: $19.9{\pm}11.8$ yrs) with pathologically proven CD. Tc-99m ECD SPECT was performed in all patients: interictal 11, interictal and ictal 3, ictal 2. MRI were obtained in all patients and image analysis was done blindly as to the result of SPECT. Pathologic findings of CD were classified into grade 1 G1, dyslamination), grade 2 (G2, dysplastic neurons) and grade 3 (G3, balloon cells). We compared SFECT with MRI in lesions-to-lesions and analyzed the result according to PG. Results: In SFECT and MRI. 38 and 27 lesions were visually recognized. In 14 interictal SPECT, variable findings in 35 lesions were demonstrated: 25 were hypoperfusion, 7 hyperperfusion, 2 heterotopic perfusion in the white matter. By comparison between two studios, missed lesions were founded: SPECT were 1 lesion, MRI 12. Review of missed 12 lesions of MRI were followed according to PG: G1 patients were 16.7% (4/19), G2 40.0% (6/15), and G3 50% (2/4). Conclusion: Interictal SFECT in CD showed variable findings such as hypoperfusion, hyperperfusion or heterotopic perfusion. However, for detection of missed CD on MRI, SFECT may help to detect a functional abnormality of the lesion with high PG.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.64-70
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• 1996

The prevalence rate of psychiatric symptoms of the refractory epileptic patients was evaluated according to the location of the epileptic focus. The subjects were 91 patients admitted to Epilepsy Monitoring Unit of Seoul National University Hospital. The psychiatric symptoms were assessed by Korean version of Symptom Checklist-90-R(SCL-90-R). The locus of epileptic focus was assessed by clinical features, 2-hour interictal EEG, long-term video-EEG monitoring, brain MRI, interictal and ictal brain SPECT, and interictal brain PET The subjects were divided into three groups according to the epileptic focus, non-temporal(N=29), left temporal (N=26), and right temporal(N=32). There were no statistical differences in demographic and seizure-related variables among groups. The number of patients with $T-score {\geq} 65$ at any subscale of the SCL-90-R were compared by $X^2-test$ among groups. The mean T-scores of each subscale of the SCL-90-R were compared by oneway-ANOVA among groups. The prevalence rate of psychiatric symptoms of the refractory epileptic patients was 38.5%. There was no statistical difference in the prevalence rate of psychiatric symptoms among groups. However, the patients with non-temporal or right temporal epileptic foci showed statistically significant higher mean T-scores of interpersonal sensitivity, depression, hostility, and phobic subscales than the patients with left temporal epileptic foci. These results suggest that the epileptic focus plays an important role in the production of interictal psychiatric symptoms of the refractory epileptics.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.169-182
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• 2000

Purpose: To investigate the various ictal perfusion patterns and find the relationships between clinical factors and different perfusion patterns. Materials and Methods: Interictal and ictal SPECT and SPECT subtraction were performed in 61 patients with partial epilepsy. Both positive images showing ictal hyperperfusion and negative images revealing ictal hypoperfusion were obtained by SPECT subtraction The ictal perfusion patterns of subtracted SPECT were classified into focal hyperperfusion, hyperperfusion-plus, combined hyperperfusion-hypoperfusion, and focal hypoperfusion only. Results: The concordance rates with epileptic focus were 91.8% in combined analysis of ictal hyperperfusion and hypoperfusion images of subtracted SPECT, 85.2% in hyperperfusion images only of subtracted SPECT, and 68.9% in conventional ictal SPECT analysis. Ictal hypoperfusion occurred less frequently in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) than extratemporal lobe epilepsy. Mesial temporal hyperperfusion alone was seen only in mesial TLE while lateral temporal hyperperfusion alone was observed only in neocortical TLE. Hippocampal sclerosis had much lower incidence of ictal hypoperfusion than any other pathology. Some patients showed ictal hypoperfusion at epileptic focus with ictal hyperperfusion in the neighboring brain regions where ictal discharges propagated. Conclusion: Hypoperfusion as well as hyperperfusion in ictal SPECT should be considered for localizing epileptic focus. Although the mechanism of ictal hypoperfusion could be an intra-ictal early exhaustion of seizure focus or a steal phenomenon by the propagation of ictal discharges to adjacent brain areas, further study is needed to elucidate it.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 2011

Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) had been debated whether it is ictal or non-ictal phenomenon. As most of PLEDs occur in patients with acute structural lesions, some epileptologists prefer PLEDS as a non-ictal phenomenon, rather an obscure epiphenomenon of etiological diseases. But, almost half of the patients with PLEDs do not have acute structural lesions in the brain and metabolic disorders or old CNS lesions may cause PLEDs and even more, no brain lesion was identified in some patients. There are many data supporting PLEDs as ictal phenomena. Occurrence of PLEDs usually accompanied by decreased mentality and is improved as PLEDs disappeared. Current SPECT study showed marked hyperperfusion in the lesion side of PLEDs, that is striking evidence of PLEDs as ictal phenomena. Also careful review of EEG with PLEDs revealed it is a dynamic process rather than a static state. Despite of these evidences, as PLEDs are an end-stage of animal status epilepticus models, it may be a transition of ictal to interictal state.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristic perfusion changes in patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome by comparison of the findings of brain MR images and perfusion SPECT images. $^{99m}Tc$-HMPAO or $^{99m}Tc$-ECD interictal brain SPECTs were performed on 5 pediatric patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome within 2 weeks after MR imaging. Brain SPECTs of three patients without calcification showed diminished perfusion in the affected area on MR image. A 3 month-old patient without brain atrophy or calcification demonstrated paradoxical hyperperfusion in the affected hemisphere, and follow-up perfusion SPECT revealed decreased perfusion in the same area. The other patient with advanced calcified lesion and atrophy on MR image showed diffusely decreased perfusion in the affected hemisphere, but a focal area of increased perfusion was also noted in the ipsilateral temporal lobe on SPECT. In conclusion, brain perfusion of the affected area of Sturge-Weber syndrome patients was usually diminished, but early or advanced patients may show paradoxical diffuse or focal hyperperfusion in the affected hemisphere. Further studies are needed for better understanding of these perfusion changes and pathophysiology of Sturge-Weber syndrome.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 2003

In medical imaging, three-dimensional (3D) display using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) as a portable file format can give intuitive information more efficiently on the World Wide Web (WWW). The web-based 3D visualization of functional images combined with anatomical images has not studied much in systematic ways. The goal of this study was to achieve a simultaneous observation of 3D anatomic and functional models with planar images on the WWW, providing their locational information in 3D space with a measuring implement using VRML. MRI and ictal-interictal SPECT images were obtained from one epileptic patient. Subtraction ictal SPECT co-registered to MRI (SISCOM) was performed to improve identification of a seizure focus. SISCOM image volumes were held by thresholds above one standard deviation (1-SD) and two standard deviations (2-SD). SISCOM foci and boundaries of gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the MRI volume were segmented and rendered to VRML polygonal surfaces by marching cube algorithm. Line profiles of x and y-axis that represent real lengths on an image were acquired and their maximum lengths were the same as 211.67 mm. The real size vs. the rendered VRML surface size was approximately the ratio of 1 to 605.9. A VRML measuring tool was made and merged with previous VRML surfaces. User interface tools were embedded with Java Script routines to display MRI planar images as cross sections of 3D surface models and to set transparencies of 3D surface models. When transparencies of 3D surface models were properly controlled, a fused display of the brain geometry with 3D distributions of focal activated regions provided intuitively spatial correlations among three 3D surface models. The epileptic seizure focus was in the right temporal lobe of the brain. The real position of the seizure focus could be verified by the VRML measuring tool and the anatomy corresponding to the seizure focus could be confirmed by MRI planar images crossing 3D surface models. The VRML application developed in this study may have several advantages. Firstly, 3D fused display and control of anatomic and functional image were achieved on the m. Secondly, the vector analysis of a 3D surface model was defined by the VRML measuring tool based on the real size. Finally, the anatomy corresponding to the seizure focus was intuitively detected by correlations with MRI images. Our web based visualization of 3-D fusion image and its localization will be a help to online research and education in diagnostic radiology, therapeutic radiology, and surgery applications.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.463-468
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• 1996

본 연구는 간질 병소의 국소화에 있어 발작기 및 발작간 뇌스캔의 정확도를 알아보고 발작기 뇌 스캔에서 나타나는 간질 확산이 정확한 간질 병소를 국소화 하는데 어떠한 영향을 미치는가에 대하여 알아보고자 하였다. 15명의 복잡 부분 발작 환자를 대상으로 하였으며, 간질 병소의 최종적인 국소화는 두피 및 발작 뇌파, 피질 뇌파, 자기 공명 영상, 임상양상 및 병리 소견을 종합한 근거로 하였다. 발작기 뇌스캔은 뇌파상 발작 중 또는 환자가 aura를 호소할 때 Tc-99m HMPAO 20mCi(740 MBq)를 정맥주입후 시행하였으며 발작간 뇌스캔은 발작기 뇌스캔 후 3일 이내 임상적으로 발작 증상이 없는 기간에 시행하였다. 간질 병소는 우측 측두엽이 8예, 좌측 측두엽이 6예, 측두엽 이외의 기원이 1예 였다. 발작기 뇌스캔상, 모두 11예(73.3 %)에서 단발성 또는 다발성 섭취 증가가 간질 병소 및 간질확산 부위에서 관찰되었으며, 간질 병소에만 국한된 섭취 증가는 4예(26.7%)에 불과 하였다. 발작간 뇌스캔에는 모두 11예(73.3 %)에서 간질 병소에만 섭취가 감소되었다. 자기 공명 영상에서는 8예(53.3 %)에서 hippocampal sclerosis를 포함한 간질 병소가 확인되었다. 본 연구로 복잡 부분 발작 환자에서, 간질 확산이 발작기 뇌 스캔 중 자주 관찰됨을 알 수 있었으며, 이러한 간질 확산에 따른 다발성 방사능 섭취가 발작기 뇌스캔상, 간질 병소의 국소화에있어 한계가 있음을 결론 내릴 수 있었다.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.469-475
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• 1996

목 적 : 측두엽 간질 환자의 발작간 뇌 스캔에서 관찰되는 측두엽 혈류 감소와 같은 쪽 시상 혈류 감소 소견의 빈도를 알아보고 이러한 소견이 간질 병소 국소화에 미치는 유용성에 대해 알아보고자 한다. 대상 및 방법 : Tc-99m-ECD를 이용하여 발작간 뇌 스캔을 시행한 67명의 측두엽 간질 환자에서 편측 측두엽과 같은 쪽 시상에 혈류 감소를 보인 12명의 환자를 대상으로 하였다. 간질 병소는 표면 뇌파 검사, 발작시 뇌파 검사, 심부 뇌파 검사, 자기 공명 영상 그리고 임상적 소견을 종합하여 국소화 하였다. 결 과 : 편측 측두엽과 같은 쪽 시상에 혈류 감소는 18%의 환자에서 관찰되었다. 7명의 환자는 왼쪽 측두엽과 시상에 혈류 감소를 보였다. 이들 7명중 4명은 자기공명영상 소견상 왼쪽 내측 측두엽 경화 소견을 보였다. 5명의 환자는 오른쪽 측두엽과 시상에 혈류 감소를 보였다. 이들 5명중 4 명은 자기공명영상 소견상 오른쪽 내측 측두엽 경화 소견을 보였다. 결 론 : 발작간 뇌 스캔상 관찰되는 편측 측두엽과 같은 쪽 시상의 혈류 감소 소견은 측두엽과 시상사이의 상호 연결에 의한 해리 현상으로 부분 발작의 병태 생리와 밀접한 연관이 있으리라 생각한다. 또한 이러한 소견은 간질 병소 국소화에 도움이 되리라 생각한다.