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Neurology Overview
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can vividly illustrate areas where brain activity differs from the norm. PET’s ability to measure metabolism has significant implication in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and other neurological conditions.
- Disease is a biological process and PET is a biological imaging technique
- PET measures in detail the functioning of distinct areas of the brain
- PET studies the chemical process involved in the working brain
- PET = a picture of the brain at work
PET imaging has been found to be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of neurological conditions, including:
- Alzheimer-type dementia
- Multi-infarct dementia
- Depression, psychiatric evaluation
- Movement disorders
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Aid in directing biopsy
- Tumor recurrence vs. scar and necrosis
Currently, the only Medicare approved procedure for a neurological examination with PET is to determine the seizure foci in patients with intractable seizures that are candidates for surgical ablation.
Recently, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced their intentions to expand the Medicare coverage of PET to include Alzheimer’s disease. The proposed coverage will include the diagnosis of suspected Alzheimer’s disease when a specific diagnosis remains uncertain despite a thorough clinical evaluation. Likewise PET would also be covered in clinical trails for patients with early dementia or unexpected memory loss.
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