Background: Hereditary transthyretin amyloid (ATTRv) is a systemic amyloidosis with mainly neurological and cardiac symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of [18F]Flutemetamol PET/CT-scan of the heart in long-term survivors with ATTRV30M amyloidosis.
Methods: Twenty-one patients with ATTRV30M amyloidosis and predominantly neurological symptoms, mainly negative on cardiac 99mtechnetium-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (DPD)-scintigraphy, were examined with a dynamic [18F]Flutemetamol PET/CT-scan. Five patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and one healthy individual served as controls. Volumes of interests were drawn over the intraventricular septum, lateral wall of the left ventricle and free wall of the right ventricle. Clinical records were reviewed for data from previous completed DPD-scintigraphy of the heart and echocardiography.
Results: Patients with ATTRv amyloidosis had a higher cardiac uptake than the control-group in all analysed regions of the heart and could be identified with high accuracy (sensitivity 88%, specificity 100%) in static image acquisition at 30 or 60 min. We found no correlation between cardiac [18F]Flutemetamol uptake and clinical variables.
Conclusion: In this small study of selected patients, cardiac [18F]Flutemetamol PET/CT could differentiate between healthy individuals and patients with ATTRV30M. [18F]Flutemetamol PET/CT imaging of amyloidosis in patients with a negative DPD-scintigraphy has a potential as a diagnostic method.