The value of PET in mild cognitive impairment, typical and atypical/unclear dementias: A retrospective memory clinic study.
This retrospective study examined the role of [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in the diagnosis of atypical/unclear dementias in a memory clinic setting. A total of 94 patients with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, who had a PET study within 2 months of their diagnosis, were reevaluated at 5 and 18 months. Results showed that PET was associated with a change in diagnosis in 29% of patients and a 64% increase in the use of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs). PET significantly lowered the number of atypical/unclear diagnoses from 39.4% to 16% and nearly 30% of these were found to have a typical Alzheimer's disease (AD) pattern of hypometabolism. In conclusion, the addition of PET to the investigation of atypical/unclear cases of dementia helped generating a more accurate diagnosis and initiating earlier treatment. PET was of limited contribution to typical AD and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases. This study provides guiding evidence about the true value of PET imaging in the day-to-day challenge of dementia diagnosis.
Laforce
Robert
R
Clinique de Mémoire, Département des Sciences Neurologiques, Centre Hospitalier Affilié Universitaire de Québec, Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus, Canada. robert.laforce-jr.1@ulaval.ca
Buteau
James P
JP
Paquet
Nancy
N
Verret
Louis
L
Houde
Michèle
M
Bouchard
Rémi W
RW
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18