Uniformity of cardiac (123)I-MIBG uptake on SPECT images in older adults with normal cognition and patients with dementia

INTRODUCTION: Some studies report that assessing regional (123)I-cardiac MIBG uptake can aid in the diagnosis of Lewy body disease, but others report heterogeneity in healthy controls. We aimed to evaluate regional cardiac MIBG uptake patterns in healthy older adults and patients with dementia. METHODS: 31 older adults with normal cognition, 15 Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and 17 Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients were recruited. 5 individuals had previous myocardial infarction. Participants with sufficient cardiac uptake for regional SPECT analysis (29/31 controls, 15/15 AD, 5/17 DLB) had relative uptake pattern recorded. Controls were assessed for risk of future cardiovascular events using QRISK2, a validated online tool. RESULTS: In controls uptake was reduced in the inferior wall (85%), apex (23%), septum (15%), and lateral wall (8%). AD and DLB showed similar patterns to controls. Lung or liver interference was present in 61% of cases. Myocardial infarction cases showed regional reductions in uptake, but normal/borderline planar uptake. In controls, there was no relationship between cardiovascular risk score and uptake pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variability of regional cardiac (123)I-MIBG uptake is common in cases with normal planar cardiac uptake. Heterogeneity of regional uptake appears non-specific and unlikely to aid in the diagnosis of Lewy body disease. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12350-019-01977-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.