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Comparative value of brain perfusion SPECT and [123I]MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in distinguishing between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease

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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Both decreased occipital perfusion on brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and reduction in cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake are characteristic features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and potentially support the clinical diagnosis of DLB. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of these two methods for differentiation of DLB from Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Methods

The study population comprised 19 patients with probable DLB and 39 patients with probable AD who underwent both SPECT with N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy. Objective and quantitative measurement of perfusion in the medial occipital lobe, including the cuneus and lingual gyrus, was performed by the use of three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections.

Results

Medial occipital perfusion was significantly decreased in the DLB group compared with the AD group. The mean heart/mediastinum ratios of MIBG uptake were significantly lower in the DLB group than in the AD group. Although SPECT failed to demonstrate significant hypoperfusion in the medial occipital lobe in five patients with DLB, marked reduction of MIBG uptake was found in all patients with DLB. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that MIBG myocardial scintigraphy enabled more accurate discrimination between DLB and AD than was possible with perfusion SPECT.

Conclusion

MIBG myocardial scintigraphy may improve the sensitivity in the detection of DLB. In particular, this method may provide a powerful differential diagnostic tool when it is difficult to distinguish cases of DLB from AD using brain perfusion SPECT.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Umeda and H. Hirose of the Department of Nuclear Medicine of Tokyo Medical University for their support and technical assistance. We are also grateful to Professor J. Patrick Barron of the International Medical Communications Center of Tokyo Medical University for his review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan

    Haruo Hanyu, Soichiro Shimizu, Kentaro Hirao, Hidekazu Kanetaka & Toshihiko Iwamoto

  2. Second Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Taishiro Chikamori, Yasuhiro Usui & Akira Yamashina

  3. Department of Radiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Kiyoshi Koizumi & Kimihiko Abe

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  1. Haruo Hanyu
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Correspondence to Haruo Hanyu.

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An editorial commentary on this paper is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1967-9

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Hanyu, H., Shimizu, S., Hirao, K. et al. Comparative value of brain perfusion SPECT and [123I]MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in distinguishing between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 33, 248–253 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1921-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1921-x

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