Perfusion, i.e. blood flow through the heart, lungs and brain, is of great importance for human life and health. It is one of the basic functions of keeping the body alive, because adequate blood supply to the organs responsible for our functioning, reception of stimuli and breathing is essential for life. The reduction or disturbance of perfusion may cause hypoxia, i.e. a state of inadequate amount of oxygen in the body’s tissues relative to the demand. Hypoxia can lead to dangerous symptoms of hypoxia in the brain, heart problems, or breathing problems, which can lead to tissue necrosis, ischemic infarction or even death.
Perfusion it does not have a constant value: it depends on the need of a given organ for blood flow and oxygenation, which is determined by the work intensity of a given system, the amount of blood pressure and the capacity of the heart, i.e. the amount of blood that the heart pumps into the body’s blood vessels in one minute.
Scintigraphy – the course of the study
Perfusion is observed with a test called scintigraphy. Scintigraphy is an isotopic test, which means that it uses small amounts of radioactive isotopes, observing the test result with SPECT computer tomograph (Single Photo Emission Photography), which uses the technique of emission of single photons, i.e. particles, beams of light, and capturing them on sequential tomographic images around the patient’s chest or head.
Perfusion scintigraphy heart rate is usually done within two days. The patient is examined initially after exercise, such as vigorous exercise on a treadmill or exercise bike. At the time of the most intense effort, the patient is given radioizotop, i.e. a preparation containing a small amount of radioactive elements that will be visible on the result of computed tomography. Blood flow with given radioisotope it is recorded on the image from the tomograph. The second part of the test is performed while idle. The results of the tomography showing the blood flow in these two situations allow for the identification of possible zones where tissue ischemia occurs and allow the patient to be treated appropriately.
An indication to complete scintigraphic examination there is a suspicion of coronary heart disease or a previous myocardial infarction. Scintigraphy it is also performed before the bypass implantation and before cardiac surgery, if it is recommended by the doctor.
Perfusion scintigraphy lungs is also done using SPECT CT examinationsafter intravenous administration of the radiotracer. The examination shows the blood supply to the lungs thanks to the visualization of the network of blood vessels in the pulmonary parenchyma in the CT images. Perfusion scintigraphy study It takes about an hour to see if the blood in the lungs is flowing properly. If the marker is evenly distributed over the lung image, circulation is normal. Defects in the image of the blood vessel network inform about disturbances in the blood supply to the lungs, which may lead to their hypoxia and, consequently, the risk of hypoxia in other organs in the body.
Lung perfusion test is performed in the case of pulmonary insufficiency, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension and before planned lung surgery.
Brain perfusion test it is performed in the case of suspected brain diseases consisting in tissue ischemia due to the malfunction or obstruction of blood vessels. Brain perfusion test it is also performed in the case of epilepsy, and also when it is necessary to determine the damage to the brain after injuries or when it is necessary to confirm cerebral death.
Concept perfusion it also means an artificial extracorporeal circulation system used in cardiac surgery, which is used during surgery, replacing the action of the heart and lungs during procedures performed on these organs, in order to maintain the proper functioning of the circulatory system of the rest of the body.