Cerebral blood flow changes in vascular aphasia : A clinical and SPECT study

The present study was conducted on 56 patients (34 females, 22 males), presenting with aphasia due to ischemic insult in the domain of the MCA. Patients were divided into 2 groups to study the short and long-term changes of rCBF in various clinical types of aphasia. They were subjected to thorough neurological examination, assessment of aphasia using modified Chesher test and AAT, laboratory tests and SPECT brain scan. Global aphasia was significantly higher in groups I patients, while nominal aphasia was significantly higher in group II. Group II patients had significantly higher mean scores in nearly all subtests of aphasia scales compared to group I. Moreover, patients with nominal and TCM aphasia had significantly higher scores in the used aphasia scales compared to those with global and Broca’s aphasia. The left hemispheric CBF was significantly higher in group I compared to group II (p= 0.018). The left hemispheric CBF was also significantly lower compared to the right in both groups. Cerebellar diaschesis was observed in 16 patients mostly having large sized infarcts involving the left frontal and parietal lobes. Patients with cerebellar diaschesis were found to have significant lower mean scores in the aphasia scales compared to those without diaschesis. . (Egypt J. Neurol. Psychiat. Neurosurg., 2004, 41(1): 251-261).