New UK Trials For Amersham's Ceretec

Amersham International has initiated three new trials of its Ceretec (technetium 99mTC exametazime) brain imaging agent that will take place at King's College Hospital, London, UK. The studies, which will involve 200 patients over three years, will examine the role of SPECT (single photon emission tomography) and Ceretec in stroke medicine.

Ceretec is a brain imaging agent used to examine cerebral blood flow in many conditions, including cerebral infarction. The new studies aim to show a correlation between SPECT scan findings and the patient's prognosis. The three related studies will define the role of regional cerebral blood flow imaging in stroke patients.

In acute stroke patients, a SPECT scan will be carried out within 72 hours of admission, and an assessment will be made of the patient's long-term outcome and the results of the SPECT scan. In the second study, the use of SPECT scanning to predict the results of cerebral angiography will be examined, while in the third the role of SPECT in predicting the results of endarterectomy will be studied, with a scan taken both pre- and post-operatively.