ABSTRACT
Cerebral injury during pediatric cardiac surgery may result from several different mechanisms. Two functional brain imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography, allow the in vivo study of regional cerebral biochemical and hemodynamic processes. Specific biological questions can be investigated by applying tracer kinetic models to the PET data. Numerous questions of normal and abnormal cerebral function have been addressed by PET. Single photon emission tomography is a less costly, less cumbersome, and more accessible alternative, which in many circumstances is able to demonstrate the same information as PET. The area of functional brain imaging using emission tomography is a rapidly evolving field, and a number of exciting developments are on the horizon. Technological advances, such as the development of automated radionuclide generators and smaller cameras, may reduce the cost and technical complexity, thereby expanding the future clinical role of emission tomography.
