Evaluation of blood-brain barrier permeability changes in rhesus monkeys and man using 82Rb and positron emission tomography.

Dynamic positron tomography of the brain with 82 Rb, obtained from a portable generator [82Sr (25 days) - 82 Rb (76 sec)], provides a means of studying blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in physiological and clinical investigations. The BBB in rhesus monkeys was opened unilaterally be intracarotid infusion of 3 M urea. This osmotic barrier opening allowed entry into the brain of intravenously administered rubidium chloride. The BBB opening was demonstrated noninvasively using 82Rb and positron emission tomography and corroborated by the accumulation of 86Rb in tissue samples. Positron emission tomography studies can be repeated every 5 min and indicate that dynamic tomography or static imaging can be used to study BBB permeability changes induced by a wide variety of noxious stimuli. Brain tumors in human subjects are readily detected because of the usual BBB permeability disruption in and around the tumors.