Patients with advanced education showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were found to be less vulnerable to neural damage associated with the disease, according to a review in the March publication of Neurology.

 A March 22 teleconference between the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), Alzheimer's Association and other stakeholders discussed new appropriate use recommendations concerning amyloid imaging for the evaluation of Alzheimer's disease to be reviewed by CMS.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are conventionally evaluated with endoscopy and histology, but imaging with 18F-FDG PET/CT could provide a more thorough picture of intestinal inflammation, according to a study published in the March edition of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

The newly approved imaging agent, Lymphoseek, sought out 94 percent of found breast cancer metastases to the sentinel lymph nodes, according to a study published in the March edition of the Annals of Surgical Oncology.

The FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have accepted Piramal Imaging’s applications for review of the investigational PET amyloid imaging agent [18F] florbetaben.

 The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging has launched an online reference library geared for physicians and imaging professionals as well as the general public to advocate that the lowest possible dose be used for diagnostically accurate imaging.

A prospective study published in the April issue of The Lancet showed how beta-amyloid burden in the brain relates to the long-term progression of cognitive decline, cerebral atrophy and other indications of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “Beta-amyloid deposition is slow and protracted, likely to extend for more than two decades,” the authors wrote.

The emergence of PET/MR imaging has been solidly underway for a few years and the combination of the two modalities represents significant improvements to PET alone, namely MR’s excellent soft-tissue contrast and ability to capture not only physiologic but also biochemical and metabolic data. A review in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine presents an updated perspective on how PET/MR is moving forward.