Computer-aided diagnostic reporting of FDG PET for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

A. Prestia, C. Muscio, A. Caroli, G. B. Frisoni
2013 Clinical and translational imaging  
Temporoparietal hypometabolism on 18 F-FDG PET is one of the core biomarkers for the biomarker-based diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The traditional readout of 18 F-FDG PET for diagnostic reports is a subjective visual rating. However, this is loaded with substantial interrater variability. Standardization of readouts is a key factor for the use of markers in the clinic. Automated tools have been developed aimed at aiding diagnostic reporting and making it more reliable. Some involve the
more » ... stical voxelby-voxel comparison of 18 F-FDG uptake compared to a normative dataset, which provides a statistical map of difference of metabolism and requires expert judgement. Others provide a summary metric of temporoparietal hypometabolism, where a cutoff defines normality/abnormality. Strengths, weaknesses, and cautionary warnings of visual rating and both classes of tools are reviewed and discussed. Informative only in the context of a dichotomous diagnostic question (e.g., Alzheimer's/normal) [13] Differential diagnostic information is not provided [70, 71] Eloquence [70] False-negative risk (non-Alzheimer's dementias) [73] Uncertain diagnostic value around the cutoff [13] No unanimously recognized normative database [67, 74] Clin Transl Imaging (2013) 1:279-288 281
doi:10.1007/s40336-013-0031-1 fatcat:z4en5ou6mzau7nvrqdo2szshpq