Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are usually associated with diminished cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the parenchyma surrounding AVMs because of the steal phenomenon. Vasoreactivity in the parenchyma surrounding AVMs may change because of ischemia and abnormal hemodynamics. The aim of this study was to investigate vasoreactivity in parenchyma surrounding AVMs. Quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography using N-isopropyl-p-I-123 iodoamphetamine (IMP-SPECT) was performed before and after intravenous administration of acetazolamide (Diamox). Diamox is a potent cerebral vasodilator which causes tissue acidosis, and IMP-SPECT was performed 10 min after intravenous infusion of a 1g dose. The subjects were 8 patients with AVMs. The AVM was in the frontal lobe in 3 patients, the temporal lobe in 1 patient, the lateral ventricle in 1 patient, the midbrain in 1 patient, the basal ganglionic region in 1 patient, and the vein of Galen in 1 patient. A rotating gamma camera with two heads was used to perform SPECT. IMP was injected into an arm vein, and a 5-min period of blood withdrawal, 1 ml/min, was started simultaneously from a small catheter placed in the radial artery. Kuhl's method was used to quantify cerebral blood flow (CBF). Multiple contiguous 6-pixel-diameter region of interest (ROI) circles along the cerebral cortex and cerebellar hemisphere were used, and ROIs which included the AVM nidus, draining veins or infarctions were excluded from the study. Vascular territories containing arteries feeding the AVM were defined as near-ROIs on SPECT, and all other ROIs were defined as far-ROIs. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)