August 7, 2012 — RadNet Inc. announced it will offer Amyvid, a radioactive tracer used in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging, at more locations across the United States. Amyvid is the first test that can effectively rule out Alzheimer's disease (AD) in patients who are being evaluated for cognitive impairment.
Every patient with AD has increased levels of beta-amyloid plaque deposits in the brain at autopsy. Amyvid binds to beta-amyloid plaque and allows a PET/CT image to detect their presence. A positive Amyvid scan indicates moderate to frequent beta-amyloid plaques are present. While this amount of beta-amyloid plaque is present in patients with AD, it is also found in patients with other types of neurologic conditions and in older people with normal cognition.
"A negative Amyvid scan provides persuasive evidence AD is not the cause for a patient's observed cognitive decline," said Judith Rose, director of PET/CT and nuclear medicine for RadNet. "This imaging technique will allow researchers to design more selective clinical trials for the next generation of treatment options."
Prior to the release of Amyvid PET/CT imaging, physicians had limited tools to definitively diagnose a patient with AD. More than 20 percent of AD cases are currently misdiagnosed. AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and among the top 10 causes of death, AD is the only one that cannot be medically cured, prevented or slowed down. Between 2000 and 2008 the United States saw a 66 percent rise in deaths caused by AD.
"Our patients benefit from a national reading and reporting standard established by the largest provider of imaging services in the U.S.," said RadNet President and CEO Howard Berger. "In support of this development in AD imaging, RadNet has established an Amyvid reading protocol above and beyond Eli Lilly's expectations. Two Amyvid certified radiologists will arrive at a single consensus after independently interpreting each scan."
Amyvid scans will initially be available at the following RadNet locations through the "Shine a New Light on Dementia" initiative (a doctor's prescription is required):
- Beverly Tower Wilshire Advanced Imaging Center (Beverly Hills, Calif.);
- Liberty Pacific Advanced Imaging (Encino, Calif.);
- Orange Advanced Imaging Center (Orange, Calif.);
- Rancho Mirage Interventional Radiology and Imaging Center (Rancho Mirage, Calif.);
- Temecula Valley Imaging Center (Temecula, Calif.);
- Rolling Oaks Radiology (Thousand Oaks, Calif.);
- NorCal Imaging (Walnut Creek, Calif.);
- Advanced Radiology Imaging (Baltimore);
- American Radiology Services (Columbia, Md.); and
- Hudson Valley Radiology Associates (Nyack, N.Y.).
For more information: www.radnet.com
April 05, 2024 
