Following approval by the FDA, Barnes-Jewish Hospital is now offering a new type of PET scan for patients with memory disorders and other forms of cognitive impairment.
Radioactive diagnostic agent Amyvid™ detects neuritic plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, and makes them "light up" during a PET scan. The agent has a longer half-life than the compound used in research studies, which makes it better suited for clinical use.
“These PET scans have the potential to be really useful as treatments for Alzheimer’s are developed,” Jonathan McConathy, assistant professor of radiology, said in a press release. “Once we have treatments to significantly slow down or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, then I think this kind of imaging will become very important in deciding who should be treated and, potentially, whether a treatment is working.”
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