title: [Brain SPECT using Tc-99m-bicisate (ECD) in rapidly progressive dementia syndrome].
abstract: We present a 61-year-old male patient with progressive dementia. A brain SPECT with Tc-99m-bicisate was performed for confirmation of clinically suspected Alzheimer-dementia. At the time of the SPECT-investigation marked apraxia and aphasia besides severe dementia were present. Electrophysiological as well as anatomical neuroimaging findings showed non-diagnostic alterations. SPECT revealed distinct perfusion defects, which made Alzheimer Dementia unlikely. The further course of the patient was determined by rapidly progressive deterioration with development of akinetic mutism. Thereafter, increased levels of neuron-specific enolase as well as 14-3-3 proteins were found in the cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). The patient finally died with signs of cerebral decortication. Due to the clinical course and the CSF-findings the patient's final diagnosis was Creutzfeldt-Jakob-disease, nevertheless no autopsy was performed. The presented case report underscores the clinical utility of perfusion brain SPECT in the differential diagnosis of dementias.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Nuklearmedizin, Klinikums der Universität Regensburg. joerg.marienhagen@klinik.-uni-regensburg.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marienhagen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Weingärtner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zerr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poser
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blaha
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eilles
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009155:Mutism; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013577:Syndrome; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine