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. 2016 Mar-Apr;57(2):208-16.
doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2015.12.002. Epub 2015 Dec 3.

Florbetapir F18 PET Amyloid Neuroimaging and Characteristics in Patients With Mild and Moderate Alzheimer Dementia

Elisabeth K Degenhardt  1 , Michael M Witte  2 , Michael G Case  3 , Peng Yu  3 , David B Henley  4 , Helen M Hochstetler  5 , Deborah N D'Souza  6 , Paula T Trzepacz  7
Affiliations
Free article

Florbetapir F18 PET Amyloid Neuroimaging and Characteristics in Patients With Mild and Moderate Alzheimer Dementia

Elisabeth K Degenhardt et al. Psychosomatics. 2016 Mar-Apr.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD) is challenging, with a 70.9%-87.3% sensitivity and 44.3%-70.8% specificity, compared with autopsy diagnosis. Florbetapir F18 positron emission tomography (FBP-PET) estimates beta-amyloid plaque density antemortem.

Methods: Of 2052 patients (≥55 years old) clinically diagnosed with mild or moderate AD dementia from 2 solanezumab clinical trials, 390 opted to participate in a FBP-PET study addendum. We analyzed baseline prerandomization characteristics.

Results: A total of 22.4% had negative FBP-PET scans, whereas 72.5% of mild and 86.9% of moderate AD patients had positive results. No baseline clinical variable reliably differentiated negative from positive FBP-PET scan groups.

Conclusions: These data confirm the challenges of correctly diagnosing AD without using biomarkers. FBP-PET can aid AD dementia differential diagnosis by detecting amyloid pathology antemortem, even when the diagnosis of AD is made by expert clinicians.

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