What are dementia diagnostics?

If you’re concerned about your memory, doctors perform a quick Mini-Cog™ test, followed by in-depth cognitive testing. While these tests indicate memory challenges, they don’t reveal what’s happening in your brain.Dr. Riedl solves that problem with a PET/CT scan that creates images showing brain changes pointing to dementia. A PET/CT scan can reveal Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stage.

Signs of dementia include:

• Challenges planning or solving problems

• Difficulty completing familiar tasks

• Confusion about time or place

• Trouble understanding visual images

• Difficulty with speaking and/or writing

• Withdrawal from work or social activities

• Changes in mood and personality

• Frequently misplacing items

• Getting lost in familiar places

• Diminished or poor judgment

When would I need dementia diagnostics?

Dementia refers to memory loss and a decline in cognitive abilities like reasoning, concentrating, and communicating. These changes are severe enough to disrupt your daily life and worsen as the underlying brain damage progresses.

How do dementia diagnostics work?

A PET/CT scan combines positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography (CT), using a cutting-edge machine that can do both at the same time.

A CT scan consists of a series of X-ray images taken from around your body. The images go to a computer that reassembles the cross-sections, producing detailed 3D images of the targeted brain structures.

A PET scan produces images by detecting radiotracers, drugs combined with a tiny dose of radiation. Radiotracers target certain types of cells. After they enter your body, they travel to those cells and briefly attach to them, allowing the PET scan to pick up their radiation signature and turn it into an image.

Important to know

• Please bring copies of your most recent CT, X-ray, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) films with you on the day of your PET/CT scan.

• No special preparations are required in advance. You can have a small breakfast on the day of the examination.

• Drink plenty of water one hour before the examination.

• On the day of the examination, contact with pregnant women or young children should be avoided.

What you need for a PSMA PET-CT

• The examination costs are not reimbursed by the health insurance companies.

• Some private insurance companies cover part of the costs, you should definitely submit our fee note there.

• Depending on the medical question, an individual tracer is produced for your examination.

If you need to cancel your appointment

• If need to cancel your appointment, please inform us of this no later than the day before by 12 noon, otherwise we will have to charge a cancellation fee.

• Also, if we can’t reach you to confirm the appointment 48 hours before the exam we will have to reschedule you. You can of course also call us if you are not reachable.

How a PSMA PET-CT works

• We will inject you a small dose of the radioactive tracer substance specially prepared for you.

• Then wait 120 minutes in a lying position to achieve the appropriate tracer distribution and enrichment.

• The recording in the scanner takes about 20minutes.

• Drink plenty of fluids after the examination to speed up the elimination of the tracer.

• Please let us know if you suffer from claustrophobia. Here are some tips if you do.

Side effects

• No side effects are to be expected from the injection of the radioactive tracer itself.

• Side effects can result from the administration of iodine-containing contrast medium in the context of the possibly accompanying contrast medium-assisted computed tomography (intolerance reaction, hyperthyroidism, exacerbation of a pre-existing renal insufficiency).

• Please make sure to point out in the informative discussion if you have had a reaction to a contrast medium in the past (reddening of the skin, itching, swelling, shortness of breath, etc.).