Unlocking the Radiologist's Role in Alzheimer's Diagnosis and Treatment (2024)-WEB08-2024

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, titled "Unlocking the Radiologist's Role in Alzheimer's Diagnosis and Treatment," sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company, featured presentations by Dr. Vittoria Spampinato, Dr. John McConaty, and Dr. Cyrus Raji. The session focused on the use of imaging biomarkers, particularly amyloid PET and MRI, in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. McConaty provided an overview of how PET imaging can help in identifying Alzheimer's pathophysiology and emphasized the importance of early diagnosis and biomarkers in detecting cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. He highlighted the utility of imaging to monitor the effectiveness of anti-amyloid therapies like Leucanumab and Denanumab, which are now entering routine clinical practice.<br /><br />Dr. Spampinato covered the essential role of pretreatment MRI evaluations, detailing the necessary protocol sequences and the criteria for treatment eligibility, such as the presence of microhemorrhages, white matter hyperintensities, and other baseline findings that impact patient eligibility for treatment. Structured reporting for MRI findings was recommended to improve communication with clinical colleagues.<br /><br />Dr. Raji discussed ARIA (amyloid-related imaging abnormalities), which are potential complications of anti-amyloid therapy, categorized as either edema (ARIA-E) or hemorrhage (ARIA-H). He presented case examples to underscore the importance of recognizing these abnormalities and recommended standardized imaging protocols and careful reporting to ensure patient safety during treatment.<br /><br />The webinar concluded with a Q&A session, where panelists addressed audience questions regarding ARIA frequency and characteristics, the challenges of effectively using imaging in treatment, and the potential future role of lymphatic system imaging in Alzheimer's research.

Keywords

Alzheimer's diagnosis

imaging biomarkers

amyloid PET

MRI

anti-amyloid therapies

Leucanumab

Denanumab

ARIA

cognitive impairment

neurodegeneration