The validity of hospital discharge register data on coronary heart disease in Finland

We studied the validity of the Finnish hospital discharge register data on coronary heart disease (CHD) for the purposes of epidemiologic studies and health services research. The Finnish nationwide hospital discharge register (HDR) was linked with the FINMONICA acute myocardial infarction (AMI) register for the years 1983–1990. The frequency of errors in the HDR was assessed separately. Between 8% and 13% of hospitalized AMI events registered in the AMI Register were not found in the HDR with an ICD code for CHD. Problems with the register linkage and the use of some ICD code other than one of the codes for CHD explained these missing events. The frequency of errors in the personal identification number was about 5% in the early 1980s. After 1986 errors were found only occasionally. The diagnosis recorded in the HDR was the same as that in the discharge sheet in about 95% of hospitalizations. The positive predictive value of the ICD code 410 (AMI), compared with the FINMONICA definite+possible AMI category, was very high and stable, about 90% in all areas and all hospitals, but it sensitivity varied from 50% at local hospitals to 80% at central hospitals. In summary, data on CHD obtained from the Finnish hospital discharge register give, on average, a correct picture on changes in the occurrence of AMI in Finland and can, with necessary caution, be used in epidemiological studies and health services research. However, the classification of individual cases is not standardized in the HDR, but varies over time, between geographical areas and the levels of care. Therefore, these data should not be used without confirmation in studies where correct classification of individual outcomes is of crucial importance, such as follow-up studies and case-control studies.     

The validity of the routine mortality statistics on coronary heart disease in Finland: comparison with the FINMONICA MI register data for the years 1983-1992. Finnish multinational MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease

We compared the diagnoses obtained from the routine mortality statistics with the standardized World Health Organization (WHO) MONICA (multinational MONItoring of trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease) classification in suspect coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths registered in the FINMONICA myocardial infarction (MI) register during 1983-1992. All CHD deaths from routine mortality statistics (International Classification of Diseases codes 410-414) were registered in the MI register. Of the CHD deaths in routine mortality statistics 1.7% in men and 4.8% in women did not fulfill the MONICA criteria for CHD death (P<0.001 for the difference between the sexes). In men 4.7% and in women 7.3% (P=0.004) of the deaths registered in the MI Register and classified as CHD deaths by MONICA criteria had another underlying cause of death than CHD in routine mortality statistics; this proportion increased over time in both sexes (P=0.002 in men and P=0.77 in women). The CHD mortality trends obtained separately from the routine mortality statistics and from the FINMONICA MI Register were very similar. In conclusion, the high CHD mortality in Finland reported by the routine mortality statistics is real. It is possible that some CHD deaths have escaped registration, but the decline seen in the CHD mortality is also real.     

Zur Validität der Herz-Kreislauf-Mortalitäts-Statistik der ehemaligen DDR

It has been known already for a long time that in the GDR the mortality rates for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) had been considerably underestimated. Instead of these diagnoses very often such general conditions like atherosclerosis and hypertension have been coded as underlying cause of death. We carried out, therefore, two validation studies in order to check whether and to what extent violations of the WHO coding rules were responsible for that. In the first study all hospital deaths which occurred in the GDR between 1985 and 1989 have been compared with the corresponding data of the official mortality statistics (record-linkage-database). In the second study 4.154 death certificates have been manually checked and recoded. Among the hospitalized patients who died from an acute myocardial infraction (AMI) the AMI was coded as underlying cause of death at the death certificate only in 57 % (men) and 54 % (women), respectively. Among cases of CHD these proportions were 66 % and 62 %, respectively, and among cases of CVA 46 % and 44 %, respectively. In the second study among those deaths with AMI as one of the three possible diagnoses at the death certificate AMI was coded as underlying cause of death in men in 46 % and in women in only 30 %. For CHD these proportions were 71 % and 59 %, respectively, and for CVA 44 % and 46 %, respectively. Both studies confirm that in the GDR the selection rules recommended by WHO have often been ignored when coding the death certificates of death cases from AMI, CHD and CVA. Based on the results of the two studies the following correction factors for the official mortality rates are proposed for men and women, respectively: AMI 1.8/2.3; CHD 1.5/1.6; CVA 2.2/2.3.     

Trends in fatal coronary heart disease among people aged 25-74 years in Oita City,Japan, from 1987-1998

Serum cholesterol has been increasing in recent years in Japan. There is concern that risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) may be increasing too, but there is little information on validated fatal CHD trends in the Japanese population. We identified 1,056 deaths from heart disease and other deaths possibly hiding CHD from death certificates of residents aged 25-74 years in Oita City, Japan in 1987-1988, 1992-1993, and 1997-1998 (mean population, 273,000 in 1997-1998). We validated 994 of them by medical record review and physician interviews, classifying them into definite fatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and possible fatal AMI or CHD death based on Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease project's criteria. Sudden death was defined to estimate the number of CHD sudden deaths. In men, age-adjusted mortality rates due to validated fatal CHD remained quite stable over 10 years (25.3 per 100,000 [95% CI, 15.0-35.5] in 1987-1988 to 24.2 per 100,000 [95% CI, 16.1-32.3] in 1997-1998). When 50% or all sudden deaths were included as fatal CHD, the rates for men tended to decline. This was due to decreasing out-of-hospital deaths in connection with a declining CHD death rate among men aged 65-74 years, whereas in-hospital CHD deaths were level. In women, the rate of validated fatal CHD was highest in 1992-1993, but the 1997-1998 rate was similar to the 1987-1988 rate. We did not find that fatal CHD rates increased in Oita men and women from 1987-1998. Rather, out-of-hospital fatal CHD tended to decline in Oita men.     

Present-at-admission diagnoses improved mortality risk adjustment among acute myocardial infarction patients

OBJECTIVE: Hospital mortality outcomes for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients are a focus of quality improvement programs conducted by government agencies. AMI mortality risk-adjustment models using administrative data typically adjust for baseline differences in mortality risk with a limited set of common and definite comorbidities. In this study, we present an AMI mortality risk-adjustment model that adjusts for comorbid disease and for AMI severity using information from secondary diagnoses reported as present at admission for California hospital patients. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: AMI patients were selected from California hospital administrative data for 1996 through 1999 according to criteria used by the California Hospital Outcomes Project Report on Heart Attack Outcomes, a state-mandated public report that compares hospital mortality outcomes. We compared results for the new model to two mortality risk-adjustment models used to assess hospital AMI mortality outcomes by the state of California, and to two other models used in prior research. RESULTS: The model using present-at-admission diagnoses obtained substantially better discrimination between predicted survival and inpatient death than the other models we considered. CONCLUSION: AMI mortality risk-adjustment methods can be meaningfully improved using present-at-admission diagnoses to identify comorbid disease and conditions related closely to AMI.     

Validation of reported myocardial infarction mortality in blacks and whites. A report from the Community Cardiovascular Surveillance Program.

It is widely believed that blacks experience a higher mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD) than do whites. To determine whether this reported difference in mortality between blacks and whites is real, we studied the question in the context of the Community Cardiovascular Surveillance Program (CCSP). Fatal and nonfatal cases of CHD were reviewed in 12 US communities. Standardized criteria were applied to classify these cases as possible CHD, definite CHD, possible myocardial infarction (MI), or definite MI. The annual age-adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 ascribed to definite MI by the CCSP criteria was higher in blacks than in whites: 47 in white men (95% confidence interval, 36 to 58), 18 in white women (95% confidence interval, 8 to 28), 95 in black men (95% confidence interval, 10 to 180), and 41 for black women (95% confidence interval, 0 to 99). The proportion of definite MI to all fatal CHD events was higher in blacks (16%) than in whites (12%). For nonfatal events, however, the rate of definite MI was higher in whites than in blacks: 322 in white men (95% confidence interval, 293 to 351), 225 in black men (95% confidence interval, 160 to 290), 82 in black women (95% confidence interval, 43 to 121), and 103 in white women (95% confidence interval, 88 to 118). The proportion of definite MI to all nonfatal CHD events was lower in blacks (16%) than in whites (30%). Thus, the overall rate for fatal and nonfatal definite MI was lower in blacks (215/100,000) than in whites (244/100,000). These observations suggest that a combination of high case-fatality ratio and misclassification of cause and death may contribute to the reported higher rate of CHD mortality among blacks.     

Misclassification of coronary heart disease in mortality statistics. Evidence from the WHO-MONICA Ghent-Charleroi Study in Belgium

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To validate the Belgian vital statistics for coronary heart disease (CHD) on the basis of an independent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) register, carried out as part of the WHO-MONICA project. DESIGN: Records of fatal cases of AMI in the WHO-MONICA register were individually linked to the corresponding death certificates. SETTING: Since 1983, the WHO-MONICA Collaborating Centre Ghent/Charleroi registers all fatal and non-fatal AMI in the age group 25-69 years in two geographical areas, Ghent in the northern Dutch speaking part and Charleroi in the southern French speaking part of Belgium. Registration is done according to the MONICA protocol. The official vital statistics in Belgium are published on a yearly basis. They are essentially a reflection of the "underlying" causes of death, coded according to the 9th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The study was undertaken in the period 1983-1991. MAIN RESULTS: Out of a total of 741 (Ghent) and 934 (Charleroi) well documented MONICA fatal cases of AMI, 492 (66.4%) and 641 (68.6%), respectively, were officially labelled as CHD (ICD code 410-414); 438 (59.1%) and 385 (41.2%), respectively, were officially labelled as AMI (ICD code 410). A substantial fraction of the MONICA AMI cases--27.1% in Ghent and 38.2% in Charleroi--was coded as "other forms of CHD" (ICD 411-414) or as "other forms of heart disease" (ICD 420-429). The remaining MONICA AMI cases--13.8% in Ghent and 20.6% in Charleroi--were classified in either very aspecific (for example, atherosclerosis, ICD 440) or totally unrelated ICD codes (for example, neoplasm, ICD 140- 239). CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded from the results in this paper that a substantial part of all deaths caused by CHD in Belgium are labelled with incorrect ICD codes and are therefore misclassified in the official mortality statistics for Belgium. This is partly caused by a "drainage" of cases towards less specific CHD related ICD categories. A considerable fraction, however, seems to be absolutely misclassified.       

Postal questionnaires identified hospitalizations for self-reported acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: We validated the diagnoses of self-reported acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated in hospital. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The agreement between myocardial infarction reported in a postal questionnaire in 1998 and data from the Augsburg Coronary Event Register were assessed in a representative sample of German men and women (n = 9,176) aged 25 to 74 years at baseline examination. RESULTS: Of the 9,176 persons, 207 men and women reported an incident AMI treated in hospital during the follow-up period. Of these, 148 persons fulfilled the criteria for verified AMI (positive predictive value 71.5%). Among the 8,969 respondents who reported no AMI, three persons had an AMI (negative predictive value 100%). The sensitivity was 98.0%, and the specificity 99.3%. Much of the false-positive reporting was related to cardiac hospitalizations, predominantly for coronary heart disease (42%). CONCLUSION: A postal questionnaire seems to be a useful method to identify hospitalizations for incident nonfatal AMI cases in epidemiologic cohort studies. Because the proportion of false negatives is low, medical record reviews for case ascertainment can be limited to the group of positive responders.     

Reliability of death certificate diagnoses

Consistency between death certificates and clinical records from 5 general hospitals in Kuwait was studied for 470 deaths with the following underlying or associated causes: hypertensive (HYP), ischaemic heart diseases (IHD), cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Direct causes were not considered since they are of little interest analytically. Only deaths with definite or most probable ascertainment were included. One cardiologist, who was provided with the WHO criteria and relevant documents on death certification, independently reviewed the records. To test the reviewer's bias and the reliability of his judgement, an adjudication process was effected by having one senior cardiologist re-review a random subsample of 140 records. The two reviewers showed good agreement. Specific diagnoses criteria for deciding the underlying cause of death in multiple morbid conditions by the reviewer were followed. Due to possible reviewer bias, we aimed at measuring the difference between initial certifiers and the reviewer rather than measuring the diagnostic accuracy of initial certifiers in reference to the reviewer. The agreement 'index kappa showed poor agreement between original and revised certificates. The original certificates underestimated CVD as an underlying cause of death by 69.2%, DM by 60%, IHD by 33.5% and HYP by 31.8% in our sample. Associated causes were also consistently underestimated by initial certifiers as compared with the reviewer. This bias calls for basing mortality statistics in Kuwait on hospital death committees' reports rather than on initial certifier death certificates, use of multiple-causes of death instead of one underlying cause and adequate training of the medical profession on the value and process of death certification.     

Limitations of hospital discharge diagnoses for surveillance of extrinsic allergic alveolitis

Hospital discharge diagnoses were used to identify all inpatient cases of extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) from 1979 to 1982 in New Jersey. Of 170 reported cases, the hospital records of 48 were available for review. Based on published criteria for the diagnosis of EAA, only three cases (6%) could be classified as probable EAA, while 10 (21%) were possible cases, and 34 (73%) were not EAA. Limitations were apparent in the accuracy of discharge coding and also in the accuracy of the physician's diagnosis. These findings should promote caution among investigators using unvalidated reports based on ICD-9 hospital coding of EAA. Implications for reporting of other occupational lung diseases are discussed.     

A retrospective study of physical activity and coronary deaths

For a series of 568 married white men aged 30-70 years who died from coronary heart diseases, (CHD), and a matched sample of living neighbourhood controls, information was collected on a large number of variables, including physical activity, (PA), classified according to the Health Insurance Plan Study criteria. Increased leisure PA was associated with a decreased risk of coronary death (p less than .001) but there was no association between job activity and coronary deaths. Step-up multiple regression, based on within-pair differences, was used to control for the possible confounding effects of all variables studied. Even when these variables were controlled for there was still a significant association between increased leisure PA and decreased risk of death due to CHD (P less than .001). These data are consistent with the hypothesis that increased leisure PA can contribute to the prevention of death from CHD.     

Validation of stroke diagnosis in the National Hospital Discharge Register and the Register of Causes of Death in Finland

The validity of stroke diagnosis in the National Hospital Discharge Register and the Register of Causes of Death was examined among 546 middle-aged men in Finland. The subjects were cases of cerebrovascular diseases of the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study and identified by record linkage to the registers. In all, 375 events with cerebrovascular disease as hospital discharge diagnosis and 218 events with cerebrovascular disease as the underlying cause of death were reviewed using specific criteria modified from the classifications of the National Survey of Stroke and the WHO MONICA Study. For hospital stroke diagnoses, there was agreement on diagnosis for all strokes in 90%, for subarachnoid hemorrhage in 79%, intracerebral hemorrhage in 82%, and cerebral infarction in 90%. The respective agreement rates for stroke as the underlying cause of death were 97%, 95%, 91%, and 92%. The data were insufficient for review in 1% and 3% of the stroke events, respectively. Age, observation year and trial supplementation with alpha-tocopherol or beta-carotene had no effect on validity. In conclusion, the validity of stroke diagnosis was good in registers of hospital diagnoses and causes of death justifying their use for endpoint assessment in epidemiological studies.     

The EPICARDIAN project, a cohort study on cardiovascular diseases and risk factors among the elderly in Spain: methodological aspects and major demographic findings

BACKGROUND: Despite a greater incidence of ischemic heart disease among individuals over age 65, most cardiovascular research has been focused on the middle-aged adult population. To date no cohort study on this population have been made in Spain. This study is aimed as reviewing the role and methodology of cohort studies as an epidemiological tool absolutely essential for researching the prevalence and incidence of angina, AMI, stroke and the major cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: Cohort study in three areas of Spain (Lista district in Madrid), Arevalo (Avila) and Begonte (Lugo). Age and sex stratified random sample by based on the municipal censuses of each area and municipality (n = 5.079). Two-stage initial cohort assessment: home survey structured for the screening ischemic heart disease and classic risk factors (hypertension, dyslipemia, diabetes and smoking habit) and clinical assessment for case confirmation. In the follow-up phase the MONICA project "cold pursuit" method modified for pinpointing and investigating indicent cases was used, employing all of the hospital and primary care clinical records for confirming the cardiovascular event. Data was also requested from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics as to the cause and date of death of the deceased individuals in the cohort. RESULTS: The overall AMI prevalence was 4% (95% CI: 3.4%, 4.5%); definite plus probable AMI being 6.2% (95% CI: 5.5-6.9). The definite AMI prevalence was higher among the mean 6.7% (95% CI: 5.63-7.79) than among the women, 2% (95% CI: 1.51-2.55) (p < 0.001). Hypertension prevalence according to JNCV1 criteria was 68%, hypercholesterolemia 26.4% according to NCEP criteria, diabetes prevalence 13.4% according to WHO criteria, and 11.3% were smokers. The cumulative incidence for a 3.2-year period for nonfatal definite AMI was 1.4% (95% CI: 1.1-1.8); 1.1% (95% CI: 0.74-1.37) probable AMI: 1.17 (IC95%: 0.824-1.48) for fatal definite AMI or death due to AMI and 1.13% (IC 95%: 0.824-1.48) for sudden death. CONCLUSIONS: The elderly population included in this study shows a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, as well as ischemic heart disease incidence rates three times higher than those of the middle-aged adult population in Spain. The risk profile for women is significantly worse than for men, which may be due to the higher death rate at earlier ages among men.     

Relation of socioeconomic position to the case fatality, prognosis and treatment of myocardial infarction events; the FINMONICA MI Register Study

OBJECTIVE: To examine socioeconomic differences in case fatality and prognosis of myocardial infarction (MI) events, and to estimate the contributions of incidence and case fatality to socioeconomic differences in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. DESIGN: A population-based MI register study. METHODS: The FINMONICA MI Register recorded all MI events among persons aged 35-64 years in three areas of Finland during 1983-1992. A record linkage of the MI Register data with the files of Statistics Finland was performed to obtain information on socioeconomic indicators for each individual registered. First MI events (n=8427) were included in the analyses. MAIN RESULTS: The adjusted risk ratio of prehospital coronary death was 2.11 (95% CI 1.82, 2.46) among men and 1.68 (1.14, 2.48) among women with low income compared with those with high income. Even among persons hospitalised alive the risk of death during the next 12 months was markedly higher in the low income group than in the high income group. Case fatality explained 51% of the CHD mortality difference between the low and the high income groups among men and 38% among women. Incidence contributed 49% and 62%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable socioeconomic differences were observed in the case fatality of first coronary events both before hospitalisation and among patients hospitalised alive. Case fatality explained a half of the CHD mortality difference between the low and the high income groups among men and more than a third among women.     

Morbidity and mortality of myocardial infarction in the Augsburg MONICA study area in 1985, 1986 and 1987

In the years 1985, 1986 and 1987, the MONICA Augsburg Coronary Event Register recorded 1488 coronary events (1214 men and 274 women) occurring in 35-64 year old residents of the study region (population: 102,000 men and 105,000 women). The rates presented include all coronary events with a definite acute myocardial infarct (AMI), possible AMI, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and insufficient data. The age-standardized attack rates in men are 390 (1985) to 372 (1987) and in women 51 (1985) to 72 (1987) per 100,000 population. The age-standardized 28-day case fatalities in men are 44 (1985) to 44 (1987) and in women 67 (1985) to 55 (1987) per 100 coronary events. With the exception of the attack rates in women, no statistically significant differences between yearly rates could be established.     

冠状动脉造影对心房颤动患者的冠心病诊断价值

目的用冠状动脉造影(冠造)比较心房颤动(房颤)患者冠心病诊断的准确性。方法87例房颤患者包括阵发性房颤56例，持续性房颤31例，均行冠造检查，通过房颤患者冠脉狭窄的分布．评价两者冠心病的诊断价值。结果(1)87例心电图有缺血型ST-T改变36例中，阵发性房颤20例．冠造示冠脉有不同程度狭窄者8例(40．0％)；持续性房颤16例．冠造示不同程度冠脉狭窄者10例(62．5％)。(2)冠脉造影对房颤病因冠心病的诊断价值：阵发性房颤56例中确诊为冠心病者4例(7.1％)；持续性房颤31例中确诊为冠心病者16例(51．6％)。结论冠造诊断价值可靠、准确；房颤患者不能单凭房颤诊断冠心病。     

Review of death certificate diagnosis of coronary heart disease and heart failure in Japan

Vital statistics for coronary heart disease (CHD) were dramatically influenced by the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) in 1995. To better understand the accuracy of death certificate diagnosis of CHD and heart failure, validation studies in Japan were reviewed. Positive predictive values and sensitivity, calculated as validation measures, varied widely between studies, differing with regard to autopsy rates, amount of information on medical records, and period investigated. However, heart failure, which has been frequently assigned on death certificates in Japan, was validated in some studies. Half of these were evaluated to be sudden deaths, including coronary deaths. Because autopsy-based studies on sudden deaths indicated that 30-50% of these were accounted for by CHD deaths, deaths assigned to heart failure should be taken into consideration in order to determine the actual number of CHD deaths in Japan. Focusing on changes in vital statistics after the 1995 ICD revision, the Oita Cardiac Death Surveys (OCDS) allowed interpretation of its effects on CHD and heart failure. Much of the increase in CHD deaths on vital statistics reflects more false positive cases, particularly for out-of-hospital deaths. Considering the Japanese features of vital statistics for CHD, further epidemiological validation studies are needed in order to confirm the accuracy of CHD death certificate diagnoses and to monitor actual CHD trends in Japan.     

血尿酸、高敏C反应蛋白及同型半胱氨酸与冠心病相关性研究

目的探讨冠心病患者不同临床类型之间血清尿酸、高敏C反应蛋白（high-sensitivitv C—reactiveprotein,hs—CRP）和同型半胱氧酸（homocysteicacid,Hcy）的关系,方法选择年龄≥60岁老年冠心病患者134例分为3组：稳定型心绞痛（SAP）组54例、不稳定型心绞痛（UAP）组42例、急性心肌梗死（AMI）组38例。另选年龄≥60岁未患冠心病者114例作为对照组,分析各组血清尿酸、hs—CRP和Hey含量及三者的关系。结果AMI组及UAP组血清尿酸、hs-CRP和Hcv含量高于对照组和SAP组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;AMI组血清尿酸、hs—CRP与Hcy含量呈正相关（r=0．73．P〈0．01：r=0．71,P〈0．01）,血清尿酸与hs—CRP亦呈正相关（r=0．71,P〈0．01）;UAP组血清尿酸、hs—CRP与Hcv含量呈正相关（r=0．63,P〈0．01;r=0．70,P〈0．01）,血清尿酸与hs—CRP亦呈正相关（r=0．48,P〈0．01）。结论在老年冠心病患者中,血尿酸、hs-CRP和Hcv可能联合参与了急性冠状动脉事件的发病过程．     

Coronary heart disease surveillance: field application of an epidemiologic algorithm

This report describes the performance of a surveillance system and computerized algorithm for the assignment of definite or probable hospitalized cardiac events for large epidemiologic studies. The algorithm, developed by the Coordinating Committee for Community Demonstration Studies (CCCDS), evolved from the Gillum criteria, and included selected ICD-9-CM codes including codes 410 through 414 for discharge record screening, plus creatine kinase. For the small percentage of cases in which enzyme analysis was inconclusive (8%), presence of pain and/or Minnesota-coded electrocardiograms were included to define the outcome. All data items were easily obtained from medical records by trained lay record abstractors and required no interpretation. From January 1980 through December 1991, 21,183 medical records were screened for ICD-9-CM codes 410 through 414. Of all 410 to 411 ICD-9-CM codes (n = 9026), 36.9% (n = 3220) were classified as definite cardiac events and 10.6% (n = 1057) as probable events. Of all 412 through 414 codes (n = 9070), only 1.8% (n = 227) were classified as definite cardiac events and 5.4% (n = 716) as probable events. The epidemiologic diagnostic algorithm presented in this article used computerized data to assign diagnoses in a standard, objective manner, and was a lower cost alternative to classification of cardiac events on the basis of clinical review and/or more complex record abstraction approaches.     

Utility of 123I-FP-CIT SPECT for dementia diagnoses and therapeutic strategies in elderly patients

Objectives

Evaluation of the influence of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the dopamine transporter (¹²³I-FP-CIT) on diagnosis and treatment strategies in elderly patients with mild dementia.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Geriatrics memory clinic.

Participants

Consecutive ambulatory patients who had ¹²³I-FP-CIT SPECT for a suspicion of DLB.

Measurements

Clinical diagnoses before SPECT were compared with imaging results.

Results

46 patients were included. Pre imaging clinical hypotheses were probable DLB in 14, possible DLB in 21 and alternate diagnoses in 11. Rates of abnormal imaging in these groups were respectively 71%, 43% and 18%. Overall, diagnoses were revised in 37% of the cases. Four patients with probable DLB had normal imaging. Their number of core criteria did not differ from the remainder (2.75 ± 0.5 vs. 2.1 ± 0.6), but hallucinations in 2 patients were not well formed and detailed as usual in DLB. Among 38 patients free of antipsychotics, rates of abnormal scans were 36% in patients with questionable parkinsonism, 57% in definite parkinsonism, 67% in patients with no parkinsonism. Among 9 patients on Levodopa, 6 had normal scans and Levodopa was stopped.

Conclusion

We show a significant impact of ¹²³I-FP-CIT SPECT on diagnoses, even in cases of definite parkinsonism or probable DLB. In the latter, scarcity of hallucinations, especially if there are not well formed and detailed, should prompt ¹²³I-FP-CIT SPECT.