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Purpose: There are no comprehensive guidelines for the use of FDG PET in the following three clinical scenarios: (1) diagnostic work-up of patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) at risk of future cognitive decline, (2) discriminating idiopathic PD from progressive supranuclear palsy, and (3) identifying the underlying neuropathology in corticobasal syndrome.Methods: We therefore performed three literature searches and evaluated the selected studies for quality of design, risk of bias, inconsistency, imprecision, indirectness and effect size. Critical outcomes were the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive/negative predictive value, area under the receiving operating characteristic curve, and positive/negative likelihood ratio of FDG PET in detecting the target condition. Using the Delphi method, a panel of seven experts voted for or against the use of FDG PET based on published evidence and expert opinion.Results: Of 91 studies selected from the three literature searches, only four included an adequate quantitative assessment of the performance of FDG PET. The majority of studies lacked robust methodology due to lack of critical outcomes, inadequate gold standard and no head-to-head comparison with an appropriate reference standard. The panel recommended the use of FDG PET for all three clinical scenarios based on nonquantitative evidence of clinical utility.Conclusion: Despite widespread use of FDG PET in clinical practice and extensive research, there is still very limited good quality evidence for the use of FDG PET. However, in the opinion of the majority of the panellists, FDG PET is a clinically useful imaging biomarker for idiopathic PD and atypical parkinsonism associated with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To assess the clinical utility of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for detection of early signs of neurodegeneration in conditions of increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as defined by: subjective cognitive decline (SCD), evidence of cerebral amyloid-pathology, apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4-positive genotype, or autosomal dominant forms of AD (ADAD) in asymptomatic stages. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the PICO model to extract evidence from relevant studies. An expert panel then voted using the Delphi method on three different diagnostic scenarios. Results The level of empirical study evidence for the use of FDG-PET to detect meaningful early signs of neurodegeneration was considered to be poor for ADAD and lacking for SCD and asymptomatic persons at risk, based on APOE ε4-positive genotype or cerebral amyloid pathology. Consequently, and consistent with current diagnostic criteria, panelists decided not to recommend routine clinical use of FDG-PET in these situations and to currently mainly reserve it for research purposes. Conclusion Currently, there is limited evidence on which to base recommendations regarding the clinical routine use of FDGPET to detect diagnostically meaningful early signs of neurodegeneration in asymptomatic subjects with ADAD, with APOE ε4- positive genotype, or with cerebral amyloid pathology, and in subjects with SCD. Future prospective studies are warranted and in part already ongoing, aiming to assess the added value of FDG-PET in this context beyond research applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aim to report the quality of accuracy studies investigating the utility of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET in supporting the diagnosis of prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects, and the corresponding recommendations made by a panel of experts.Methods: Seven panellist, four from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, and three from the European Academy of Neurology, produced recommendations taking into consideration the incremental value of FDG-PET, as added on clinical-neuropsychological examination, to ascertain the aetiology of MCI (AD, FTLD or DLB). A literature search using harmonized population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) strings was performed, and an evidence assessment consistent with the European Federation of Neurological Societies guidance was provided. The consensual recommendation was achieved based on Delphi rounds.Results: Fifty-four papers reported the comparison of interest. The selected papers allowed the identification of FDG patterns that characterized MCI due to AD, FTLD and DLB. While clinical outcome studies supporting the diagnosis of MCI due to AD showed varying accuracies (ranging from 58 to 100%) and varying areas under the receiver-operator characteristic curves (0.66 to 0.97), no respective data were identified for MCI due to FTLD or for MCI due to DLB. However, the high negative predictive value of FDG-PET and the existence of different disease-specific patterns of hypometabolism support the consensus recommendations for the clinical use of this imaging technique in MCI subjects.Conclusions: FDG-PET has clinical utility on a fair level of evidence in detecting MCI due to AD. Although promising also in detecting MCI due to FTLD and MCI due to DLB, more research is needed to ultimately judge the clinical utility of FDG-PET in these entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the clinical utility of FDG-PET as a diagnostic aid for differentiating Alzheimer’s disease (AD; both typical and atypical forms), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), vascular dementia (VaD) and non-degenerative pseudodementia.Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the PICO model to extract evidence from relevant studies. An expert panel then voted on six different diagnostic scenarios using the Delphi method.Results: The level of empirical study evidence for the use of FDG-PET was considered good for the discrimination of DLB and AD; fair for discriminating FTLD from AD; poor for atypical AD; and lacking for discriminating DLB from FTLD, AD from VaD, and for pseudodementia. Delphi voting led to consensus in all scenarios within two iterations. Panellists supported the use of FDG-PET for all PICOs—including those where study evidence was poor or lacking—based on its negative predictive value and on the assistance it provides when typical patterns of hypometabolism for a given diagnosis are observed.Conclusion: Although there is an overall lack of evidence on which to base strong recommendations, it was generally concluded that FDG-PET has a diagnostic role in all scenarios. Prospective studies targeting diagnostically uncertain patients for assessing the added value of FDG-PET would be highly desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the incremental value of FDG-PET over clinical tests in: (i) diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); (ii) picking early signs of neurodegeneration in patients with a genetic risk of Huntington’s disease (HD); and detecting metabolic changes related to cognitive impairment in (iii) ALS and (iv) HD patients.Methods: Four comprehensive literature searches were conducted using the PICO model to extract evidence from relevant studies. An expert panel then voted using the Delphi method on these four diagnostic scenarios.Results: The availability of evidence was good for FDG-PET utility to support the diagnosis of ALS, poor for identifying presymptomatic subjects carrying HD mutation who will convert to HD, and lacking for identifying cognitive-related metabolic changes in both ALS and HD. After the Delphi consensual procedure, the panel did not support the clinical use of FDG-PET for any of the four scenarios.Conclusion: Relative to other neurodegenerative diseases, the clinical use of FDG-PET in ALS and HD is still in its infancy. Once validated by disease-control studies, FDG-PET might represent a potentially useful biomarker for ALS diagnosis. FDG-PET is presently not justified as a routine investigation to predict conversion to HD, nor to detect evidence of brain dysfunction justifying cognitive decline in ALS and HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A joint effort of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) aims at clinical guidance for the use of FDG-PET in neurodegenerative diseases. This paper addresses the diagnostic utility of FDG-PET over clinical/neuropsychological assessment in the differentiation of the three forms of primary progressive aphasia (PPA).Methods: Seven panelists were appointed by the EANM and EAN and a literature search was performed by using harmonized PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) question keywords. The studies were screened for eligibility, and data extracted to assess their methodological quality. Critical outcomes were accuracy indices in differentiating different PPA clinical forms. Subsequently Delphi rounds were held with the extracted data and quality assessment to reach a consensus based on both literature and expert opinion.Results: Critical outcomes for this PICO were available in four of the examined papers. The level of formal evidence supporting clinical utility of FDG-PET in differentiating among PPA variants was considered as poor. However, the consensual recommendation was defined on Delphi round I, with six out of seven panelists supporting clinical use.Conclusions: Quantitative evidence demonstrating utility or lack thereof is still missing. Panelists decided consistently to provide interim support for clinical use based on the fact that a typical atrophy or metabolic pattern is needed for PPA according to the diagnostic criteria, and the synaptic failure detected by FDG-PET is an earlier phenomenon than atrophy. Also, a normal FDG-PET points to a non-neurodegenerative cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To review literature until November 2015 and reach a consensus on whether automatic semi-quantification of brain FDG-PET is useful in the clinical setting for neurodegenerative disorders.Methods: A literature search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar. Papers were selected with a lower limit of 30 patients (no limits with autopsy confirmation). Consensus recommendations were developed through a Delphi procedure, based on the expertise of panelists, who were also informed about the availability and quality of evidence, assessed by an independent methodology team.Results: Critical outcomes were available in nine among the 17 papers initially selected. Only three papers performed a direct comparison between visual and automated assessment and quantified the incremental value provided by the latter. Sensitivity between visual and automatic analysis is similar but automatic assessment generally improves specificity and marginally accuracy. Also, automated assessment increases diagnostic confidence. As expected, performance of visual analysis is reported to depend on the expertise of readers.Conclusions: Tools for semi-quantitative evaluation are recommended to assist the nuclear medicine physician in reporting brain FDG-PET pattern in neurodegenerative conditions. However, heterogeneity, complexity, and drawbacks of these tools should be known by users to avoid misinterpretation. Head-to-head comparisons and an effort to harmonize procedures are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss a guidance report from the Amyloid Imaging Taskforce (AIT) on specific use criteria related to the clinical utility of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET). The successful development and evaluation of PET tracers for imaging fibrillar amyloid in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is mentioned. The potential contribution of PET amyloid imaging to early diagnosis of individuals at risk for AD development is also explored.

These guidelines summarize the current views of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine Neuroimaging Committee (ENC). The aim of the guidelines is to assist nuclear medicine practitioners when making recommendations, performing, interpreting, and reporting the results of clinical dopamine transporter (DAT) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies using 123I-labelled radiopharmaceuticals. The aim is to achieve a high-quality standard of DAT SPECT imaging, which will increase the diagnostic impact of this technique in neurological practice. The present document is an update of the 2002 guidelines [] and has been guided by the views of various national societies: the Task Group Neuro-Nuclear-Medicine of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine [], a consensus statement of the imaging centres included in the “Kompetenznetz-Parkinson” sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education, and the Task Group of Neuro-Nuclear-Medicine of the French Society of Nuclear Medicine []. The guidelines reflect the individual experience of experts in European countries. The guidelines are intended to present information specifically adapted to European practice. The information provided should be taken in the context of local conditions and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The guidelines summarize the current views of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine Neuroimaging Committee (ENC). The aims of the guidelines are to assist nuclear medicine practitioners in making recommendations, performing, interpreting and reporting the results of clinical dopamine D2 receptor SPECT or PET studies, and to achieve a high quality standard of dopamine D2 receptor imaging, which will increase the impact of this technique in neurological practice. The present document is an update of the first guidelines for SPECT using D2 receptor ligands labelled with 123I [] and was guided by the views of the Society of Nuclear Medicine Brain Imaging Council [], and the individual experience of experts in European countries. The guidelines intend to present information specifically adapted to European practice. The information provided should be taken in the context of local conditions and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]