Utility of (99m)Tc-HM-PAO SPECT hippocampal image to diagnose early stages of Alzheimer's disease using semiquantitative analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Examination of the utility of (99m)Tc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxide ((99m)Tc-HM-PAO) SPECT hippocampal image to diagnose early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) using semiquantitative analysis.


METHODS
10 early-stage AD patients and 8 normal sex-matched elderly controls.


METHODS
Outpatient division of the Ehime University Hospital.


METHODS
We performed (99m)Tc-HM-PAO SPECT perfusion imaging in each subject. A semiquantitative method of assessing regional variation was used. The regions of interest for temporal regions were set at images parallel to the long axis of the hippocampal formation which were reconstructed at 30 degrees negative to the orbitomeatal line and those for other regions were set on ordinary transaxial images.


RESULTS
The regional cerebral blood flow ratio of the bilateral medial temporal lobe at the hippocampal image was significantly lower in the AD subjects than in the normally aged controls without any other differences in ordinary transaxial images.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that (99m)Tc-HM-PAO SPECT hippocampal images might be a helpful tool for the diagnosis of very-early-stage AD.
Nebu
A
A
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ehime University School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.
Ikeda
M
M
Fukuhara
R
R
Komori
K
K
Maki
N
N
Hokoishi
K
K
Shigenobu
K
K
Kikuchi
T
T
Tanabe
H
H
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime