Neurodegenerative diagnostics

Philips and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf are to test the world’s first MRI/PET image software tool for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.

The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and Royal Philips Electronics developed the computer aided diagnostics (CAD) system to help clinicians diagnose the onset and type of neurodegenerative diseases as early as possible.

The new diagnostic technique, which has already proven its accuracy using historical image data and known patient outcomes, is about to undergo clinical evaluation at UKE.

The CAD system is a software package that automatically interprets PET (Positron Emission Tomography) brain scans of patients suspected of having a neurodegenerative disease that leads to dementia, and combines them with MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans for accurate differential diagnosis.

The development of such a system will ultimately mean a better quality of life for patients by enabling earlier prescription of drugs that delay progression of the disease, and hence delay the worst effects of dementia. It will also provide pharmaceutical companies and clinicians with a valuable tool for the development and testing of new, potentially curative drugs for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.