High Correlation of Static First-Minute-Frame (FMF) PET Imaging after 18F-Labeled Amyloid Tracer Injection with [18F]FDG PET Imaging

Dynamic early-phase PET images acquired with radiotracers binding to fibrillar amyloid-beta (A beta) have shown to correlate with [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET images and provide perfusion-like information. Perfusion information of static PET scans acquired during the first minute after radiotracer injection (FMF, first-minute-frame) is compared to [F-18]FDG PET images. FMFs of 60 patients acquired with [F-18]florbetapir (FBP), [F-18]flutemetamol (FMM), and [F-18]florbetaben (FBB) are compared to [F-18]FDG PET images. Regional standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) are directly compared and intrapatient Pearson's correlation coefficients are calculated to evaluate the correlation of FMFs to their corresponding [F-18]FDG PET images. Additionally, regional interpatient correlations are calculated. The intensity profiles of mean SUVRs among the study cohort (r = 0.98, p < 0.001) and intrapatient analyses show strong correlations between FMFs and [F-18]FDG PET images (r = 0.93 +/- 0.05). Regional VOI-based analyses also result in high correlation coefficients. The FMF shows similar information to the cerebral metabolic patterns obtained by [F-18]FDG PET imaging. Therefore, it could be an alternative to the dynamic imaging of early phase amyloid PET and be used as an additional neurodegeneration biomarker in amyloid PET studies in routine clinical practice while being acquired at the same time as amyloid PET images.

Automated summary

Dynamic early-phase PET images using radiotracers binding to fibrillar amyloid-beta correlate with [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose PET images and provide perfusion-like information. Regional standardized uptake value ratios and intrapatient Pearson's correlation coefficients show strong correlations between the dynamic early-phase PET images and [F-18]FDG PET images. This suggests that dynamic early-phase PET could serve as an additional neurodegeneration biomarker in amyloid PET studies.