Usefulness of [¹²³I]metaiodobenzylguanidine ([¹²³I]MIBG) Myocardial Scintigraphy in Differentiating between Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Abstract

Objective To confirm the clinical usefulness of [¹²³I]metaiodobenzylguanidine ([¹²³I]MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy in the antemortem differential diagnosis between patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and those with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
Patients and Methods We compared cardiac [¹²³I]MIBG uptake in 10 patients with AD with that in 10 patients with DLB. We selected the patients with AD or DLB by using stringent diagnostic criteria that combined commonly used clinical criteria with tau protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid and radiographical examinations.
Results The heart to mediastinum ratio of [¹²³I]MIBG uptake in all the patients with DLB was significantly lower than that in the patients with AD (p<0.01).
Conclusion This study confirms that [¹²³I]MIBG myocardial scintigraphy is useful in the antemortem differential diagnosis of AD and DLB.
(Internal Medicine 42: 686-690, 2003)