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Review Evidence-based evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging as a diagnostic tool in dementia workup. 2005
Wahlund LO, Almkvist O, Blennow K, Engedahl K, Johansson A, Waldemar G, Wolf H. · Department of Neurobiology, Caring Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. · Top Magn Reson Imaging. · Pubmed #17088692 No free full text.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The diagnostic utility of magnetic resonance imaging in dementia workups has increased recently. The basic use is to exclude space-occupying processes in the brain. However, magnetic resonance imaging offers major opportunities for studying atrophy of specific brain areas. A great interest has been put in whether atrophy in the medial temporal lobe can serve as an early diagnostic marker for Alzheimer disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this evaluation, we used evidence-based techniques and reviewed more than 400 articles that address this issue. Our main finding is that a variety of methods in studying brain areas were used, and this made it difficult to extract conclusive information in a systematic way. CONCLUSION: However, we were able to conclude that atrophy of the hippocampus can distinguish patients with Alzheimer disease from healthy subjects, but there was a lack of evidence because of insufficient studies concerning the usefulness of medial temporal lobe atrophy as a diagnostic marker in a more general setting.
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