The Added Value of 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography in the Diagnosis of the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia

Characteristic frontotemporal abnormalities on structural or functional neuroimaging are mandatory for a diagnosis of probable behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) according to the new criteria. 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) imaging is commonly res...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 2014-11, Vol.29 (7), p.607-613
Main Authors: Kerklaan, B. J., van Berckel, B. N. M., Herholz, K., Dols, A., van der Flier, W. M., Scheltens, P., Pijnenburg, Y. A. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cerebrospinal Fluid - diagnostic imaging
Current Topics in Research
Diagnosis, Differential
Electroencephalography
Female
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Frontotemporal Dementia - diagnostic imaging
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neuroimaging - methods
Neuropsychological Tests
Positron-Emission Tomography - methods
Radiopharmaceuticals
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Request full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Characteristic frontotemporal abnormalities on structural or functional neuroimaging are mandatory for a diagnosis of probable behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) according to the new criteria. 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) imaging is commonly reserved for patients with suspected bvFTD without characteristic structural neuroimaging results. We studied the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG-PET in these patients. Methods:The 18F-FDG-PET was performed in 52 patients with suspected bvFTD but lacking characteristic structural neuroimaging results. The clinical diagnosis of bvFTD in the presence of functional decline (bvFTD/fd+) after a follow-up period of 2 years was used as a golden standard. Results:The sensitivity of 18F-FDG-PET for bvFTD/fd+ was 47% at a specificity of 92%. The differential diagnosis comprised alternative neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders and a benign phenocopy of bvFTD. Conclusions:The 18F-FDG-PET is able to identify nearly half of the patients with bvFTD who remain undetected by magnetic resonance imaging. In our selected group, high specificity enables exclusion of psychiatric and other neurodegenerative disorders.
ISSN:1533-3175
1938-2731
DOI:10.1177/1533317514524811