A nuclear medicine tomographic imaging technique using gamma rays that provides true three-dimensional information. SPECT scanning reveals how blood flows to tissues and organs. Studies have shown that it might be more sensitive to brain injury than either magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scanning because it can detect reduced blood flow to injured sites. Before a SPECT scan, the patient is injected with a chemical that is radiolabeled, meaning that it emits gamma rays that can be detected by the scanner.
A scan to study brain blood flow in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.