PET Imaging and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy Detection

Occipital predominance of Pittsburgh Compound B retention on PET imaging could provide confirmation of CAA diagnoses and predict cerebral hemorrhage and adverse reactions to antiamyloid immune therapy.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) causes intracranial hemorrhage and can be associated with white matter hyperintensities, cognitive impairment, and risk for adverse reactions to antiamyloid immunotherapies. Pathology and neuroimaging studies have shown that CAA predominantly affects the occipital lobe. These authors therefore hypothesized that occipital retention of Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB; a radiotracer that binds amyloid) on PET imaging would be greater in patients with CAA than in patients with Alzheimer disease. They performed PiB PET scans of 6 patients with probable CAA, 9 patients with probable AD, and 15 normal subjects. PiB retention was assessed visually and by calculating global retention and regional ratios.

All patients with…

Reviewing Author

Sandra E. Black, MD, FRCP(C)

PET Imaging and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy Detection

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Reviewing Author