Structural and functional neuroimaging methods in the diagnosis of dementias: a retrospective chart and brain imaging...

Assess the contribution of structural and functional neuroimaging methods to the diagnosis of dementia.

This was a retrospective chart and imaging review. Participants were 24 inpatient dementia cases from a general hospital-based, university medical psychiatry unit. Data from clinical charts and imaging results were reviewed.

Most common initial diagnoses were dementia NOS and vascular dementia (VD); most common discharge diagnoses were VD, Alzheimer's, Dementia NOS and dementia with Lewy bodies. Most diagnostic changes occurred following family meetings or SPECT/PET, with fewer changes after CT/MRI.

Diagnostic steps that contributed the most to the final diagnosis were the family meeting and the functional neuroimaging evaluation.