Xenon enhanced CT for analysis of cerebral integrity, perfusion, and blood flow.

Enhancement of the brain substance for CT evaluation using inhaled Xenon is confirmed. This technique was applied to the study of the normal and the embolized adolescent baboon. Healthy cerebral tissue enhances symmetrically, while abnormal areas show significantly diminished enhancement. At maximal enhancement, an indication of gross comparative cerebral perfusion to obtained. By obtaining serial CT scans over a 10 minute time interval, the clearance rate of Xenon (cerebral blood flow) may be evaluated. Xenon-enhanced CT enables a visual and numerical analysis of both brain morphology and physiology.