title: 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT in the diagnosis of senile dementia of Alzheimer's type--a study under clinical routine conditions.
abstract: This study was designed to evaluate, whether investigations of cerebral blood flow can be a helpful diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis between (senile) dementia of Alzheimer's type [(S)DAT] and geriatric depression with cognitive impairment. Under clinical routine conditions we performed Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) using 99mTc-Hexamethylpropyleneamine Oxime (HMPAO) in 23 patients with (S)DAT (14f, 9m; mean age 68.9 y), 17 patients with geriatric depression (9 f, 8 m; mean age 66.4 y) and 12 age-matched controls (9 f, 3 m; mean age 69.2 y). Semiquantitative analysis (corticocerebellar ratios) of eight different regions of interest (ROI) revealed a significantly (p < 0.05) reduced perfusion in the (S)DAT patients compared to the control group. The depression group exhibited perfusion values between the (S)DAT and control group. The difference between the depression and (S)DAT group was most prominent in the left parieto-occipital ROI (p = 0.008). We discuss the data with extensive regard to the literature and conclude that 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT is a valuable additional tool in the differential diagnosis of depression and dementia in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Goettingen, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stoppe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Staedt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kögler
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schütze
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kunert
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sandrock
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Munz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Emrich
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rüther
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime