Validity of Radionuclide Cerebral Angiography for Diagnosing Brain Death in Infants

Abstract

Since 1969, we have been using intravenous (IV) radionuclide cerebral angiography (RCA) as a confirmatory test for brain death in both children and adults (Goodman and Heck, 1977; Goodman et al., 1969, 1985). However, a recent highly respected consensus report (Report of the Medical Consultants on the Diagnosis of Death, 1981) has advised caution in using adult-based criteria for determining brain death in children, implying that a young child with a severe neurological insult may have greater recovery potential than an adult in a similar situation. In order to respond to concerns raised about the validity of RCA in diagnosing brain death in very young patients, we have reviewed our recent results with this technique in infants under 2 years with suspected brain death.