Possibility of Using 99mTc-HMPAO in Estimating Long-Term Prognosis of Cerebral Complications of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

Abstract

The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility of using brain SPECT with 99mTc-HMPAO to estimate long-term prognosis of the development of neurocognitive deficits in patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The study included 22 patients with coronary artery disease who underwent a standard estimate of neurological status, 99mTc-HMPAO brain SPECT and neuropsychological testing before CABG, 14 days and 6 months after surgical intervention. The results showed that 99mTc-HMPAO is useful radiopharmaceutical for evaluation of long-term prognosis of the development of neurocognitive deficits in patients after CABG. Thus, in 96% of patients after CABG one could observe the early cognitive deficit, which persisted in 55% of cases after 6 months. At that, a correlation between the deterioration of long-term memory after 6 months and a decrease in perfusion in the temporal lobes was detected in the early postoperative period.