Palos hospital participates in Alzheimer's study
Palos Community Hospital is participating in a national Alzheimer's study that could go a long way toward properly diagnosing and treating dementia, authorities said.
The study, sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association, will determine if a particular type Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan can help detect some protein plaques found in the brain that are a core feature of Alzheimer's, according to the study's website. The disease is a progressive neurological disorder that typically strikes people over 65, but can strike people much younger.
Currently, the hospital offers a unique PET scan, said Daniel Frankel, a radiologist at Palos responsible for interpreting the scans.
The study is named IDEAS, the acronym for Imaging Dementia — Evidence for Amyloid Scanning. Amyloid is the type of protein generated in and eliminated from the brain, according to Mark Sinibal, a psychiatrist and chairman of the psychiatric department at Palos Community Hospital, who is one of the participating physicians in the study.
In Alzheimer's patients, Amyloid protein plaques can replace normal brain tissue and interfere with the ability to think, Sinibal said. The PET scan can show evidence of Amyloid plaques up to 20 years before a person shows signs of dementia, the doctors said.
Although Alzheimer's is the leading form of dementia, the test does not detect the other forms, Frankel said. A scan that is positive for Amyloid plaques can help support a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, but does not confirm it, he said.
“A positive test does not always mean Alzheimer's disease,” Frankel said.
In fact, more information is gathered from a negative resulting test than a positive one, he said.
“If you have a negative test, not only do you not have Alzheimer's, you are not going to get it in the next decade or so,” he said.
Alzheimer's symptoms mimic other forms of dementia, including depression-related dementia.
There are medicines that can be effective in treating Alzheimer's, Frankel said. If a patient is misdiagnosed and given these medicines, the symptoms could be amplified, he said. Ruling out Alzheimer's with the PET scan can lead to better treatment of other types of dementia, he said.
Although the test only rules out Alzheimer's, but does not definitively confirm it, it offers tremendous information that was previously only available after death when an autopsy was performed, Frankel said.
“There are a lot of different forms of Alzheimer's disease; some of them are hereditary, most of them are not,” Frankel said. “Getting enough sleep and getting exercise is believed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.”
The study is managed by the American College of Radiology and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network. It also is advised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to
“The IDEAS Study is not a traditional clinical trial,” according to the site. “The efficacy of a new drug or a novel diagnostic technique is not part of the research. Brain amyloid PET scans required for this study are FDA-approved and currently commercially available for clinical care.”
Currently, Medicare does not cover that type of scan unless a patient qualifies for the study. Patients must demonstrate clear, measurable cognitive deficits, be on Medicare, and be referred by a participating physician.
Without the study, this specific PET scan costs about $3,000, officials said. The test involves an injection of dye, followed by waiting about 90 minutes for the dye to travel to the brain. The scan itself takes about 30 minutes, and is similar to a CAT scan, but not as enclosed as an MRI, officials said. The study is longer-term, and tracks treatment and results after the scan.
The study began in February 2016.
“Until they've collected 18,000 patients nationwide, and they are about a third to half way through, it will likely continue another year to year and a half,” Frankel said.
For more information about the study, referring physicians, PET facilities and Medicare reimbursement, visit
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