Differentiation of Dementia with Lewy Bodies from Alzheimer’s Disease Using Brain SPECT

Vol. 20, No. 1, 2005

Free Abstract Article (References) Article (PDF 190 KB)

Original Research Article

Differentiation of Dementia with Lewy Bodies from Alzheimer's Disease Using Brain SPECT
Soichiro Shimizu^a, Haruo Hanyu^a, Hidekazu Kanetaka^a, Toshihiko Iwamoto^a, Kiyoshi Koizumi^b, Kimihiko Abe^b

Departments of
^aGeriatric Medicine and
^bRadiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

Address of Corresponding Author

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2005;20:25-30 (DOI: 10.1159/000085070)

Key Words

Regional cerebral blood flow
Single photon emission computed tomography
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

We compared regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) patterns in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and investigated the diagnostic utility of SPECT study in differentiating between DLB and AD. SPECT data on 20 patients with DLB and 75 patients with AD were analyzed using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections. Regional CBF reduction was determined by quantitative analysis using stereotactic extraction estimation method. The DLB group showed a significant CBF reduction in the temporoparietal, frontal lobe and posterior cingulate, similar to the CBF pattern in the AD group, but regional CBF in the medial and lateral occipital lobes decreased significantly in patients with DLB compared with patients with AD. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that regional CBF measurement of the medial occipital lobe, including the cuneus and lingual gyrus, yielded a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 85% in discriminating DLB from AD. Objective and quantitative CBF measurement in the medial occipital lobe may be useful in the clinical differentiation of DLB and AD.

Author Contacts

Haruo Hanyu
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Tokyo Medical University
6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 160-0023 (Japan)
Tel. +81 3 3342 6111, Fax +81 3 3342 2305, E-Mail hanyu@mb.kcom.ne.jp

Article Information

Accepted: December 8, 2004
Published online: April 12, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 2, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 29

Medline Abstract (ID 15832032)

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