A systematic review of FDG PET in comparison to structural MRI in predicting the conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Until recently, there has been no agreement on the ideal modality for predicting the conversion from MCI to AD because each modality has its own strengths and limitations and no single diagnostic modality can serve all needs. However, the results of this systematic review indicate that FDG-PET has a higher diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity than sMRI in predicting the conversion from MCI to AD, while FDG PET has a lower specificity than sMRI, meaning that FDG-PET is more accurate and sensitive than sMRI. However, there is a high demand for further studies that combine these two modalities, which may have better accuracy for early prediction of the progression.