Resolution of Hypoxic Tissue in Cerebellar Hemispheres After Arterial Bypass Surgery in a Patient With Symptomatic Bilateral Vertebral Artery Occlusion: A 18F-FRP170 PET Study

Clin Nucl Med. 2019 Apr;44(4):295-296. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0000000000002469.

Abstract

A 48-year-old man experienced recurrent vertigo refractory to antiplatelet medications. Cerebral angiography showed occlusion of bilateral vertebral arteries with poor collateral circulation. PET using O2 gas showed reduced blood flow and metabolic rate of oxygen and elevated oxygen extraction fraction in bilateral cerebellar hemispheres. Subsequent F-FRP170 (1-(2-F-fluoro-1-[hydroxymethyl]ethoxy)methyl-2-nitroimidazole) PET, which depicts hypoxic but viable tissue, revealed elevated tracer uptake in the same regions. After superficial temporal artery-posterior cerebral artery anastomosis, O-gas PET showed normalization of blood flow, metabolic rate of oxygen, and oxygen extraction fraction in bilateral cerebellar hemispheres. Abnormally elevated F-FRP-170 uptake was also resolved in those regions.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / pathology*
  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / surgery
  • Cell Hypoxia
  • Cerebellum / pathology*
  • Cerebral Angiography
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nitroimidazoles*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Vascular Grafting*
  • Vertebral Artery / diagnostic imaging
  • Vertebral Artery / pathology
  • Vertebral Artery / surgery*

Substances

  • FRP-170
  • Nitroimidazoles