PET-CT in Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Report

Resumo

The article describes a clinical case of a female patient with Alzheimer’s disease at an early stage of the neurodegenerative process. The patient did not have any complaints. She was taken to the neuropsychologist by her husband who was concerned by the patient’s family history (his mother-in-law suffered from Alzheimer’s disease) and some memory problems that his wife had recently encountered. The diagnosis was suspected based on the results of neuropsychological evaluation of cognitive functions corresponding to mild cognitive impairment. To confirm the presence of a neurodegenerative disease, brain positron-emission tomography with F-18 fluorodesoxyglucose (FDG) was performed. Hypometabolism of the radio-tracer was detected in the cortex of temporal and parietal lobes, in the association cortex of the left temporal and the right occipital lobes, and in the posterior part of the left cyngulate gyrus. These findings correlated with the patient’s cognitive evaluation and thus provided the nosological diagnosis at an early stage of the disease.