Positron emission tomography and its application to the study of cerebrovascular disease in man.

RESEARCH INTO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF STROKE in man has been limited by the lack of accurate, non-invasive techniques for measuring regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism. The development of positron emission tomography (PET) has made it practical to study the local hemodynamic and metabolic changes that occur in human subjects with cerebrovascular disease. Although still in a state of rapid technological and methodological development, PET has already provided important new data about the pathophysiology of stroke and promises to be of even greater value in the future. This article will review the current status of PET for the study of cerebrovascular disease in man. A basic understanding of the advantages and limitations of this technique is necessary to properly interpret these studies. Therefore, we will first briefly discuss some technical and methodologic aspects of PET making specific comments about their importance in the study of cerebrovascular disease. Further details about these aspects of PET can be obtained from recently published reviews.