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P2‐225: POSTMORTEM HISTOPATHOLOGY‐PROOFED EFFICACY AND RELIABILITY OF THE VISUAL ASSESSMENT OF 18F‐FLORBETABEN PET SCANS IN THE DETECTION OF CEREBRAL BETA‐AMYLOID NEURITIC PLAQUES
Author(s) -
Sabri Osama,
Catafau Ana,
Barthel Henryk,
Ishii Kenji,
Rowe Christopher Cleon,
Leverenz James,
Ghetti Bernardino Francesco,
Ironside James,
Takao Masaki,
Akatsu Hiroyasu,
Murayama Shigeo,
Koglin Norman,
SchulzSchaeffer Walter,
Sabbagh Marwan,
Stephens Andrew,
Seibyl John
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.05.902
Subject(s) - histopathology , medicine , nuclear medicine , atrophy , senile plaques , pathology , radiology , alzheimer's disease , disease
and the UK; 75 in the US), only 57% felt familiar with aPET. Participants expected time to diagnosis to fall from 5.1 to 3.8 months (p<0.01). Given positive aPET results, 67% of physicians were likely to confirm AD diagnosis (given negative results 57% were likely to rule out). Familiarity with aPET magnified these differences (familiar vs. unfamiliar: 78% vs. 52% would confirm and 66% vs. 44% would rule out, all p<0.01). Almost 100% of physicians expected to change their testing patterns for young-onset dementia patients (EEG and CSF use dropped, p<0.03); about 50% would change testing for the other patient groups. Experts were equally likely to discontinue (36%) as to continue (32%) AChEls (memantine: 25% vs. 33%) for negative aPET patients who were already drug treated. More would continue (62%) than discontinue (10%) AChEls (memantine: 46% vs. 12%) with positive aPET. Experts familiar with aPET were more likely to change treatment than physicians who were not (p<0.01). Conclusions: Dementia experts expect that aPET imaging would increase diagnostic certainty and change testing and treatment. Those familiar with aPET were more likely to change treatment consistent with drug labeling indications. More education about the diagnostic implications of aPET results is needed even among dementia experts and could substantially improve the efficiency of testing and the most appropriate use of treatment options.