Molecular imaging with Pittsburgh Compound B confirmed at autopsy: a case report.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the correspondence between uptake of Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) in life and measures of beta-amyloid (Abeta) in postmortem tissue analysis. Patient A 76-year-old man with a clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies underwent fluorodeoxyglucose (18)F and PiB positron emission tomographic brain scans. Imaging revealed marked region specific binding of PiB and abnormal fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. Intervention Autopsy was performed 3 months after the PiB scan.


RESULTS
Autopsy confirmed the clinical diagnosis; in addition, there was severe cerebral amyloid angiopathy and only moderate numbers of parenchymal Abeta plaques. Biochemical measures revealed a positive correlation between Abeta levels and regional PiB binding.


CONCLUSIONS
This report confirms that PiB detects Abeta in the living patient and demonstrates that amyloid deposited as cerebral amyloid angiopathy can be the dominant source of signal.
Bacskai
Brian J
BJ
MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. bbacskai@partners.org
Frosch
Matthew P
MP
Freeman
Stefanie H
SH
Raymond
Scott B
SB
Augustinack
Jean C
JC
Johnson
Keith A
KA
Irizarry
Michael C
MC
Klunk
William E
WE
Mathis
Chester A
CA
Dekosky
Steven T
ST
Greenberg
Steven M
SM
Hyman
Bradley T
BT
Growdon
John H
JH
D000368:Aged; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D001344:Autopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013844:Thiazoles
C475519:2-(4'-(methylamino)phenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013844:Thiazoles; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18