Summary
Alzheimer’s disease is associated with reductions of regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism. Since the development of the 133Xe inhalation technique for tomographic measurements of regional cerebral blood flow, single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) of the brain has played an important role in the study of dementia disorders. Recently, hexamethyl-propylene-amine-oxime (d,l-HMPAO) for labeling with 99mTc was developed as a tracer for regional blood flow distribution studies by SPECT.
In an angoing study of [99mTc]HMPAO SPECT in dementia and normal aging, 18 patients fulfilled the clinical criteria for “probable Alzheimer’s disease.” In 17 patients the regional cerebral blood flow pattern was rated as abnormal by visual inspection. In eight patients regional cerebral blood flow was reduced primarily in posterior temporoparietal regions. In four patients regional cerebral blood flow was reduced primarily in the frontal lobe, although often with some temporal lobe involvement, and in five patients frontal and posterior areas were equally affected. These changes were not associated with any focal parenchymal changes in the X-ray computer tomography (CT) scans. The diverse localizations of regional cerebral blood flow reductions were in good agreement with the clinical symptoms, and may reflect different subgroups or stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain imaging with SPECT provides functional information correlative to neuropsychological data and may be helpful in evaluating treatment effects and prognosis. However, only studies with repeated evaluations of patients until neuropathological confirmation of, the diagnosis will reveal the exact diagnostic and prognostic value of SPECT in Alzheimer’s disease.
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Waldemar, G., Paulson, O.B., Lassen, N.A. (1990). Brain Imaging with SPECT in Alzheimer’s Disease. In: Rapoport, S.I., Petit, H., Leys, D., Christen, Y. (eds) Imaging, Cerebral Topography and Alzheimer’s Disease. Research and Perspectives in Alzheimer’s Disease. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75690-0_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75690-0_11
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