title: Value of (99m)Tc-ECD SPET for the diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.
abstract: Despite improved diagnostic accuracy, differentiation of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) on the basis of clinical findings remains problematic. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the utility of technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) single-photon emission tomography (SPET) as a potential tool for the diagnosis of DLB and discrimination from AD. Cerebral perfusion patterns detected by (99m)Tc-ECD SPET were compared in patients presenting with a probable diagnosis of DLB ( n=34) or AD ( n=28). Tracer distribution was quantified using the region of interest technique in eight symmetrical paired zones and expressed as a perfusion index (ratio of mean uptake in a brain region to that in the cerebellum). Comparison of findings in the DLB and AD groups demonstrated significant differences in mean perfusion indexes in the right occipital region ( P=0.004), left occipital region ( P=0.005) and left medial temporal region ( P=0.013). Mean perfusion indexes in the right and left occipital regions were lower in DLB than in AD patients. Conversely, the mean perfusion index in the left medial temporal region was lower in AD than in DLB patients. DLB was correctly identified in 22 patients (sensitivity, 65%) while AD was correctly identified in 20 patients (specificity, 71%). In the DLB group, right and left occipital perfusion indexes were 0.95 or more in all eight non-hallucinating patients, and bilateral occipital hypoperfusion was observed in 15 of the 26 patients with visual hallucinations (57.7%). To our knowledge, this is the first study in which (99m)Tc-ECD SPET has been used exclusively for the diagnosis of DLB. The results suggest that brain perfusion scintigraphy could be helpful in distinguishing DLB from AD if diagnosis based on clinical criteria alone is difficult. The findings also support a link between visual hallucinations and structural/functional changes in the occipital region in DLB patients.
authors.affiliation: Département de Médecine Nucléaire, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Université de la Méditerranée, 232 Boulevard Sainte Marguerite, BP 156, 13273 Marseille Cedex 9, France. pasquierj@marseille.fnclcc.fr
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pasquier
authors.forename: Bernard F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brenot-Rossi
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hassan-Sebbag
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauvan
authors.forename: Jean Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gastaut
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine