Question

Sam, 53, has just had a stroke (or brain attack—where portions of the brain die due to a failure in blood flow) and is now extremely aphasic but can still understand and act appropriately on spoken directions. His neurologist orders a pet scan. What do you think the scan will most likely show? What disability does sam have and what is his most likely prognosis?

Answer 1

PET scan used to examine the glucose usage of the cell. Since the area of stroke doesn't get blood flow, their glucose usage will be decreased. The PET scan will be decreased on left Broca area as it was the part that responsible for speech. Sam will have difficulty to speak. The prognosis wouldn't be good as the patient age is old and their brain already stop developing.