Can dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging replace single-photon emission computed tomography in the diagnosis of patients with alzheimer's disease? a pilot study

Purpose: To compare single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a cohort of patients examined for suspected dementia, including patients with no objective cognitive impairment (control group), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD).Material and Methods: Twenty-four patients, eight with AD, 10 with MCI, and six controls were investigated with SPECT using 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) and dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (DSC-MRI) with gadobutrol. Three observers performed a visual interpretation of the SPECT and MR images using a four-point visual scale.Results: SPECT was superior to DSC-MRI in differentiating normal from pathological. All three observers showed statistically significant results in discriminating between the control group, AD, and MCI by SPECT, with a P value of 0.0006, 0.04, and 0.01 for each observer. The statistical results were not significant for MR (P values 0.8, 0.1, and 0....