Sections
Functional Imaging: Introduction | Understanding the Literature | Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) | Positron Emission Tomography (PET) | Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) | Other Promising Modalities | Conclusion | Key Clinical Points | Recommended Readings | References
Excerpt
Technological advances in the last century have
allowed us unprecedented access to brain structure and function.
Structural imaging techniques such as skull X rays, computed tomography
(CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have proved immensely
helpful in assessment of extent of brain injury and in following
the medical sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as edema, intracranial
bleeding, and degeneration. These tools provide increasing detail
about bone and tissue injury sustained in TBI and many other medical
conditions. However, these methods cannot assess the "function" or
underlying cerebral metabolic rate (CMR) and cerebral blood flow
(CBF) in the brain. Subtle brain changes after traumatic brain injury
(TBI), although sufficient to affect a patient's ability
to function at a normal level, may not be visible on structural
imaging. The majority of mild TBI patients have normal CT and MRI
scans (for review, see Belanger et al. 2007). Functional
imaging techniques promise to help elucidate brain injury in these
particularly challenging cases.