Single-photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) Scans

A SPECT scan, short for single photon emission computed tomography, is a five- to six-hour nuclear medicine imaging test that can be used to help diagnose and manage seizures and other brain disorders, heart disease and certain bone disorders. Patients undergoing a SPECT scan are first injected with radioactive “tracer” via IV, which may take some time to be sufficiently absorbed by the body before the imaging studies can begin. Next, the patient lies flat on a table while the circular SPECT machine rotates around him or her, taking pictures of the internal structures and recreating them in three dimensional detail on a computer screen. In the case of seizure patients, results of a SPECT scan may show a bright red or white flare that indicates an area of the brain where seizures are initiated.