Beta-amyloid PET/CT imaging for Alzheimer's diseaseIdentify, evaluate, and quantify
Several ground-breaking immunotherapy treatments have recently emerged that work to reduce beta-amyloid plaques that form in the brain and slow down cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To qualify for these treatments, the presence of beta-amyloid plaque must be confirmed through diagnostic testing. Beta-amyloid PET/CT imaging plays a critical role in the AD care pathway, as it is one of the only modalities available to evaluate beta-amyloid plaque burden.
AD and beta-amyloid plaque accumulation
In a healthy brain, beta-amyloid protein fragments are broken down and removed from the brain. In a brain with AD, beta-amyloid protein fragments accumulate to form hard, insoluble plaques in between neurons. Beta-amyloid plaque buildup in the brain is often an early indicator of AD. This plaque buildup can be devastating, which is why early detection with a diagnostic tool, such as beta-amyloid PET/CT imaging, is crucial to improving outcomes for patients with AD.
Healthy brain
Beta-amyloid protein fragments are broken down and removed from the brain
AD brain
Beta-amyloid protein fragments accumulate to form hard, insoluble plaques between neurons
Enabling the AD care pathway
Identify
PET radiopharmaceuticals to image beta-amyloid plaque
Evaluate
PET/CT and PET/MR imaging to evaluate beta-amyloid plaque burden
Quantify
Software solutions to quantify protein deposits in the brain
Identify
PETNET Solutions, Inc., a Siemens Healthineers company, sells and distributes an FDA-approved diagnostic PET tracer for imaging beta-amyloid neuritic plaque density in the brain of adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for AD or other causes of cognitive decline.
Evaluate
Biograph™ PET/CT and PET/MR systems are capable of performing scans to determine eligibility for treatment with approved amyloid-targeting therapies as well as to evaluate amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).
Our Biograph family of PET/CT scanners uses optimized components for the detection systems, Optiso High Definition (HD) and Optiso Ultra Dynamic Range (UDR) PET detectors. The design and configuration of the LSO crystals, the high-speed electronics, and the optimal acquisition matrix size, all enable physicians to attain the highest image quality and accurate quantifiable results. Combined with high-definition technologies, such as UltraHD•PET, the images produced allow physicians to confidently evaluate a patient's condition.
For treatment monitoring, MRI plays an instrumental role in detecting the occurrence of ARIA that may result from immunotherapy drug treatment.
Optiso detector technology
Designed for optimum performance, our PMT based design offers high volumetric resolution 95-mm3, decreased partial volume effect, and superb image quality.
Crystal element technology
A fast, efficient scintillator, LSO is grown and cut in-house. Crystal elements deliver high isotropic spatial resolution; higher spatial resolution may result in improved lesion detectability.
Time-of-flight technology
Supports to better localize the event within a small range along each line of response (LOR). The better localization of each event using time of flight (TOF) reduces noise in the reconstructed image while improving contrast and image clarity.
ultraHD•PET technology
Provides improved image signal-to-noise by utilizing timing information (TOF) between the two PET coincidence events. Combined with the resolution recovery of HD•PET, this option can be used to enhance image quality.
Beta-amyloid PET image comparison
A positive beta-amyloid PET scan is not a definitive diagnosis for AD but rather a diagnostic tool to determine the presence of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain to help increase the clinical certainty of AD diagnosis. The use of beta-amyloid PET imaging may help enable the quantification of beta-amyloid plaque burden in the brain cortices as well in the blood vessels supplying the brain.2
Amyloid-negative PET scan
• Low uptake in cortical gray matter indicates sparse to no amyloid plaques
• Inconsistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD
Amyloid-positive PET scan
- High uptake in cortical gray matter indicates moderate to frequent amyloid plaques (loss of gray-white matter contrast)
- Consistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD
Data courtesy of Provision Diagnostic Imaging, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
Quantify
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of both beta-amyloid plaques and tau protein tangles in the brain. Deposits of beta-amyloid and tau occur in different regions and at different rates in the aging brain. Together, these pathologies lead to neurodegeneration, which results in cognitive and clinical decline in individuals with AD.
syngo.MI Neurology software enables the measurement of beta-amyloid and tau protein deposits in the brain.
Data courtesy of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
syngo.PET Cortical Analysis features
- Centiloid scoring standardizes the quantification of beta-amyloid plaque in PET scans across three commercially available beta-amyloid PET radiopharmaceuticals used to diagnose AD
- Tau PET quantification assesses and quantifies the distribution and density of tau protein tangles in the brain from a PET image acquired using the PET radiopharmaceutical
Clinical case studies
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