European journal of radiology
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By 2050 it is projected that 115 million people worldwide will have Alzheimer's Disease (AD) [1]. Recent attempts have been made to redefine the diagnostic criteria of AD to include markers of neurodegeneration - measurable by FDG-PET - and markers of amyloid accumulation - measurable by amyloid-PET. ⋯ Both techniques have been shown to detect AD with high sensitivity and specificity compared to other neurodegenerative processes and cognitively normal age-matched individuals. However, future studies with standardised, uniform thresholds and a lengthier longitudinal follow-up need to be conducted to allow us to make surer conclusions about the future role of PET in clinical practice. In addition, comparison with post-mortem diagnosis, rather than clinical diagnosis with its acknowledged flaws, would result in more powerful statistical outcomes - which is becoming increasingly important given that several disease-modifying AD drugs are now in phase 3 trials.
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By 2050 it is projected that 115 million people worldwide will have Alzheimer's Disease (AD) [1]. Recent attempts have been made to redefine the diagnostic criteria of AD to include markers of neurodegeneration - measurable by FDG-PET - and markers of amyloid accumulation - measurable by amyloid-PET. ⋯ Both techniques have been shown to detect AD with high sensitivity and specificity compared to other neurodegenerative processes and cognitively normal age-matched individuals. However, future studies with standardised, uniform thresholds and a lengthier longitudinal follow-up need to be conducted to allow us to make surer conclusions about the future role of PET in clinical practice. In addition, comparison with post-mortem diagnosis, rather than clinical diagnosis with its acknowledged flaws, would result in more powerful statistical outcomes - which is becoming increasingly important given that several disease-modifying AD drugs are now in phase 3 trials.