Association between the results of neuropsychological testing and indicators of regional cerebral blood flow according to SPECT data of cardiac surgical patient

Highlights. The article provides new data on the association between changes in regional cerebral blood flow during SPECT and cognitive impairment in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and combined carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass. The possibilities of using SPECT as a diagnostic tool in localization of areas with a similar association, in assessing the dynamics in brain perfusion and cognitive functions in the pre- and postoperative period are shown. Aim. To determine the presence of an association between the indicators of regional cerebral blood flow according to single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) data and the data of neuropsychological testing in cardiac surgery patients. Methods. We studied the parameters of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and the data of neuropsychological testing in 34 cardiac surgical patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG, n = 13) and combined carotid endarterectomy and CABG (n = 21). The state of the brain was assessed by SPECT using a radiopharmaceutical 99mTc-HMPAO (Ceretek). Assessment of cognitive functions before surgery, 2–3 days before, and in the early postoperative period, on days 5–7, was carried out using a hardware-software complex Status-PF. Results. A statistically significant relationship was found between the indices of rCBF according to neuropsychological testing data in the pre- and postoperative period. We noted a moderate correlation with the Beck Depression Scale indicators in the 1 st (p = 0.010943) and 2 nd (p = 0.000604) groups before surgery. There was a high correlation with visual-motor response time (VMR) before (p = 0.003878) and after the procedure (p = 0.001251), a moderate correlation with the number of errors (VMR) before the procedure (p = 0.042911) and a high correlation after the procedure (p = 0.003521) in the 1 st group; in the 2 nd group, there was a moderate correlation before (p = 0.004625) and after the procedure (p = 0 .005689). A moderate correlation with the indicators of attention after the procedure (p = 0.049611) was noted in the 1 st group, in the 2 nd group, we noted a moderate correlation before (p = 0.021969) and after the procedure (p = 0.008905). In the 2 nd group there was a moderate correlation with the number of processed symbols (the Bourdon test) during the 1 st minute before the procedure (p = 0.016491), a high correlation after the procedure (p = 0.007920), and a high correlation with the number of processed symbols during the 4 th minute before the procedure (p = 0.001473). There was a moderate correlation with a total with number of processed symbols in the 2 nd group before (p = 0.029073) and after the procedure (p = 0.024164), and a high correlation with the number of errors made after the procedure in the 1 st (p = 0.006367) and 2 nd (p = 0.013780) groups. A high correlation with indicators of attention after surgery (p = 0.000153) was noted as well Conclusion. The indicators of regional cerebral blood flow obtained by SPECT in patients undergoing isolated CABG and combined CAE and CABG were associated with the data of neuropsychological testing and reflect changes in the cognitive status of patients.