Cerebral perfusion nuclear imaging allows accurate and reproducible quantification of cerebral blood flow which can provide useful information in the evaluation of early dementia.
SPECT-CT imaging of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most important neuro-degenerative conditions which usually presents with progressive memory loss. There is now general agreement that Alzheimer’s Disease is amenable to diagnosis.
In the early stages of disease, standard imaging with CT or MRI usually show normal findings, however, SPECT nuclear imaging of the brain can demonstrate abnormalities in the perfusion patterns of the brain (cerebral hemispheres) before the onset of structural changes.
Multi-infarct dementia
This is another important cause of memory loss which is often difficult to separate from Alzheimer’s disease. SPECT imaging often allows accurate distinction between this cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.