"This was a uniquely real-world study that looked at the impact of amyloid PET imaging in community clinics and other non-academic settings, and demonstrates for the first time how much impact this technology has in real-world dementia care," Rabinovici said.

Other findings included:


-Physicians were more likely to prescribe Alzheimer's drugs post imaging – 82 percent versus 40 percent
-Use of such drugs was up from 63 percent to 91 percent in those with significant plaque and dementia after scanning.
-Discontinuation of the drug when no plaque was revealed on scanning.
-Changes in prescription drugs that were not for Alzheimer's and counseling advice in 25 percent of those in the study.
-One third of patients who had been sent to Alzheimer's clinical trials had “no sign of amyloid buildup based on PET imaging.”

"Accurate diagnoses are critical to ensure patients are receiving the most appropriate treatments. In particular, Alzheimer's medications can worsen cognitive decline in people with other brain diseases," noted Rabinovici, adding, "but perhaps more fundamentally, people who come into the clinic with concerns about memory problems want answers. An early, definitive diagnosis may allow individuals to be part of planning for the next phase of their lives and to make decisions that otherwise would eventually need to be made by others."

The IDEAS study was launched four years ago to assess the impact of the use of amyloid PET imaging on clinical management. The study launched two years after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found there was insufficient evidence that PET brain scans for amyloid plaque improve health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s and related dementia.

“Presumably, if patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment are properly managed, with proper drug therapy and counseling about risk avoidance, they will have fewer hospitalizations,” Dr. Barry Siegel, IDEAS investigator and radiology chief at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis, told HCB News at the time, stressing that, “The principal goal is to demonstrate that the use of this imaging test is leading to improved outcomes for these patients.”

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