Beta amyloid imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for evaluation of suspected alzheimer's disease or other causes of cognitive decline

BlueCross BlueShield Association
Record ID 32013000451
English
Authors' objectives: To determine whether evaluating patients with suspected Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other causes of cognitive decline using beta amyloid imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) results in improved health outcomes compared to no testing.
Authors' recommendations: In general, evidence of a health benefit or clinical utility from testing requires demonstration of: •incremental improvement in diagnostic or prognostic accuracy over current practice and •that incremental improvements lead to improved health outcomes (e.g., by informing clinical management decisions), and •that these outcomes may be obtained (i.e., are generalizable) outside of the investigational setting. The use of florbetapir F18 PET in individuals with suspected AD, other causes of dementia, or cognitive decline does meet any of these criteria. Studies have shown that florbetapir F18 PET results correlate with histopathologic findings at autopsy. This finding is important. Studies have also suggested that florbetapir F18 PET has some ability to differentiate between cognitively normal adults and patients with AD. However, the studies are limited by small sample sizes, differences in determining outcomes (e.g., qualitative versus quantitative, unknown impact of training for physicians inexperienced with this modality), and the lack of evidence obtained from populations encountered in clinical practice. No information is available on the impact of this test on clinical outcomes, and few data are available on whether it can accurately identify patients with MCI who will develop AD.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2012
URL for published report: http://www.bcbs.com/blueresources/tec/vols/27/27_05.pdf
URL for additional information: http://www.bcbs.com/blueresources/tec/vols/27/beta-amyloid-imaging-with.html
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: United States
MeSH Terms
  • Aniline Compounds
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Plans
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Device Approval
  • Technology Assessment, Biomedical
  • Treatment Outcome
  • United States
  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • Brain
  • Cognition Disorders
  • Plaque, Amyloid
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
Contact
Organisation Name: BlueCross BlueShield Association
Contact Address: BlueCross BlueShield Association, Technology Evaluation Center, 225 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Tel: 888 832 4321
Contact Name: tec@bcbsa.com
Contact Email: tec@bcbsa.com
Copyright: BlueCross BlueShield Association (BCBS)
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.