Investigating Alzheimer’s

26 October 2020

Benson Radiology’s PET imaging team can now provide Amyloid Brain Scans on patients with cognitive impairment, being evaluated for Alzheimer’s Disease.

These scans identify the presence of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. Beta-amyloid plaques are significant, as they are found in all patients with AD. This plaque can be present many years before clinical symptoms manifest.

A positive beta-amyloid PET scan, in conjunction with appropriate clinical evaluation, can aid an early diagnosis of AD. A negative scan can be useful in excluding AD.

As you can see from the images, no significant beta-amyloid deposition is seen in Patient 1 (top 2 rows), while Patient 2 (bottom 2 rows) shows an abnormal scan presenting with significant beta-amyloid plaque burden.