Clinicopathological and (123)I‐FP‐CIT SPECT correlations in patients with dementia

The relationship between clinicopathologic diagnosis and (123)I‐FP‐CIT SPECT in 18 patients with dementia (12 with Lewy body disease) from one center in the United States was assessed. The sensitivity and specificity of abnormal (123)I‐FP‐CIT SPECT with reduced striatal uptake on visual inspection for predicting Lewy body disease were 91.7% and 83.3%, respectively. The mean calculated putamen to occipital ratio (mPOR) based on regions of interest was significantly reduced in Lewy body disease compared to non‐Lewy body disease cases (P = 0.002). In this study, abnormal (123)I‐FP‐CIT SPECT was strongly associated with underlying Lewy body disease pathology, supporting the utility of (123)I‐FP‐CIT SPECT in the clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.