DIAGNOSTIC-ACCURACY OF SINGLE-PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY IN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

To determine whether the detection of parietotemporal functional abnormalities as demonstrated by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be employed as a diagnostic marker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), we studied 219 patients with neurologic disorders including 56 with AD and 25 healthy controls. The diagnostic sensitivity (parieto-temporal hypoperfusion present in AD patients) was 82%, and the specificity (parietotemporal hypoperfusion absent in non-AD patients and controls) was 89%. These results suggest that SPECT imaging provides an accurate and sensitive diagnostic test for AD.