TC-99m HMPAO Brain Blood Flow Imaging in the Dementias with Histopathologic Correlation in 73 Patients

The purpose of this study is to determine the value of Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT in the diagnosis of the dementias. Tc-99m HMPAO was used with a 3-camera scanner to produce 5 sets of sectional images of the brain. Images were further processed using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Diagnosis was made by a physician blinded to the clinical diagnosis. Results in 73 subjects were compared with a neuropathologic study of the brain at autopsy. Data were analyzed for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy. These results are compared with several other studies performed with Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT with histopathologic correlation. This procedure is widely available and relatively inexpensive and may be of value in patients with dementias and problematic diagnoses. Further, a degree of differential diagnosis between Alzheimer's and Frontotemporal diseases may be effected. The study was approved by our Institutional Review Board.