title: Brain SPECT with Perfusion Radiopharmaceuticals and Dopaminergic System Radiocompounds in Dementia Disorders.
abstract: As well known, the increase in life expectancy and the better physical condition of people in western countries will lead in the next 20 years to a dramatic development of neurodegenerative diseases, especially of dementia that could be considered one of the most important problems in clinical, social and economic fields for the future. Therefore, the differential diagnosis of the various types of dementia is a critical step for patients, clinicians and researchers since an accurate "in vivo" diagnosis can lead to a better patients management. Neuroimaging techniques and in particular the most diffuse and affordable single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have provided useful information about dementia disorders and these methods, on the basis of the recent advances, will have an increasingly important role in research and clinical practice. The purpose of this article is to analyze the different SPECT techniques now available which proved clinically useful in correctly formulating the differential diagnosis of dementia.
authors: Unit of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 8, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors: Susanna
authors: S
authors: Nuvoli
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Spanu
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Madeddu
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D055420:Perfusion Imaging / Q000379:methods; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D004298:Dopamine