How can nuclear medicine distinguish between Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia?

Among older persons, Alzheimer ‘ s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two most common types of dementia, but they are treated and managed in very different ways. It is therefore particularly important to make an accurate distinction between the two diseases. Nuclear medicine, as a state-of-the-art video diagnostic technology, can provide a precise answer to this challenge! What’s nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine is a medical method of observing the functioning of human organs using radioactive drugs and specialized video equipment. Unlike common CT or MRI, nuclear medicine focuses more on organ functioning than on anatomy structures. In the diagnosis of dementia, commonly used nuclear medicine techniques include PET (positive electron-launched fault imaging) and SPECT (single-photo-launched computer fault imaging). These methods help us to understand the metabolic and blood flow of the brain and provide an important basis for identifying the diagnosis. The nuclear medicine characteristic of Alzheimer ‘ s disease is a neurodegenerative disease, characterized mainly by the deterioration of brain function, which is very typical in nuclear medicine images: 1. Glucose metabolism: a significant decrease in glucose metabolism in the regions where patients ‘ brain leaves, caps and back buttons return can be observed through PET-CT. 2. Images of β-dry powder samples for proteins: The use of specific PET tracers (e.g. 11C-PIB or 18F-AV45) can directly observe the abnormal accumulation of β-dry powder samples in the brain, which is a landmark pathological change of Alzheimer ‘ s disease. Diseases of vascular characterization of vascular dementia are mainly related to cerebrovascular disease, and their nuclear medical performance is very different from that of Alzheimer ‘ s disease: 1. Decline in the blood flow from the cookstore: a decrease in the blood flow from the cookstore, which corresponds to infarction or ischaemic haemorrhage, can be observed through SPECT, which is usually irregularly distributed. 2. The structure is unusual: the location and extent of these cerebrovascular injuries can be further verified in conjunction with CT or MRI. Why is nuclear medicine so important? Nuclear medicine images can detect anomalies at an early stage of the disease (even before symptoms occur). For example, in the case of Alzheimer ‘ s disease, the β-drythromatic protein image can show positive signals years before the appearance of a memory disorder, while traditional MRI or CT may not have detected any anomalies. In addition, for patients with similar symptoms, nuclear medicine images help doctors to diagnose quickly and clearly, avoiding misdiagnosis and over-treatment. Is nuclear medicine safe? The doses of radioactive drugs used for nuclear medical examinations are very low and do not generally cause physical harm. The examination process is also very comfortable, and the patient needs to lie still and wait for the equipment to collect the data. Although both Alzheimer ‘ s disease and vascular dementia are characterized by cognitive disorders, their causes, pathology and treatment are completely different. Nuclear medicine, through accurate metabolic and blood flow images, provides doctors with an important basis for identification and helps patients to obtain earlier and more accurate diagnosis and treatment. If you or your relatives are facing similar problems, consult a professional nuclear medicine doctor and use scientific means to obtain clearer answers! Alzheimer’s disease.