Cerebral hypoperfusion detected by SPET in early neuroBehçet syndrome

We used brain single-photon emission tomography (SPET) to detect hypoperfused areas in 15 consecutive Behcet syndrome patients. Five were suspected of having neuro-Behçet's syndrome, having at least one neurological symptom. For these patients, SPET was performed within 1 month of the onset of nervous system involvement. The 15 patients fulfilled the criteria of the International Study Group for Behçet syndrome. Neurological assessment and SPET were complemented by EEG in all five patients with suspected neuro-Behçet syndrome and by magnetic resonance imaging in three. Brain SPET detected hypoperfused regions in all five neurological patients; EEG showed abnormalities in three. Magnetic resonance imaging was normal in the three patients in whom it was performed. SPET was negative in all patients without neurological involvement and 20 healthy controls. SPET detected a reduction in brain blood flow in early neuro-Behçet syndrome, but there was no definitive correlation between the hypoperfused brain regions and the clinical features. Further studies are required to evaluate the significance of brain hypoperfusion and the value of SPET in the early diagnosis of neuro-Behçet syndrome. (© 1198 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)