Amyloid PET Scan for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s is complex. With no single test currently available, diagnosis is based on an individual’s history, physical examination, and cognitive testing. Amyloid PET imaging represents a potential major advance in the assessment of those with cognitive impairment. The scan visualizes plaques present in the brain, which are prime suspects in damaging and killing nerve cells in Alzheimer's. Before amyloid PET, these plaques could only be detected by examining the brain at autopsy.
UCSF Imaging's scientists and physicians are recognized world leaders in the translation of Alzheimer's research to clinical care. Since 2003, UCSF Imaging has offered Alzheimer’s disease assessment with amyloid PET scanning for patients with memory complaints. Amyloid PET scanning makes amyloid plaques "light up" on a brain PET scan, enabling, for the first time, accurate detection of plaques in living people. The Department and the multidisciplinary initiatives that serve Alzheimer's patients, including the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIND), and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), participate in multiple national research studies including the IDEAS (Imaging Dementia - Evidence for Amyloid Scanning) Study. UCSF is one of the world’s largest centers for evaluation of cognitive decline and dementia. We look forward to learning more about your interest in this topic and welcome you to contact us any time.
Signs of Early Alzheimer's Indications
Assessment is appropriate for patients with persistent, unexplained mild cognitive impairment, those who meet core clinical requirements for Alzheimer's disease, or those with progressive dementia and early onset.
How to refer a patient
Please contact us so that we can learn more about your needs.
For those who need a referral for a scan through an Alzheimer's specialist, please contact the UCSF Memory and Aging Center
Ph: (415) 353-2057
Fax: (415) 353-8292
Neurologists, gerontologists and psychiatrists participating in the IDEAS* study (Imaging Dementia - Evidence for Amyloid Scanning) can refer directly to UCSF Imaging by calling Radiology Scheduling at (415) 353-3900. All others, please contact the UCSF Memory and Aging Center at (415) 353-2057.
Billing & Insurance (415) 514-8888
Learn more about Alzheimer's Disease Assessment and Treatment at UCSF.
*Learn more about eligibility for the IDEAS study.
About UCSF Imaging
The Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco is a leading health sciences center focused on serving patients, conducting research, and training the next generation of radiologists. We are proud to have some of the foremost names in diagnostic, therapeutic, and interventional radiology developing promising new approaches to identify and treat disease. We are a patient-centered team, and are proud that the community recognizes us for our compassion and care.
For more information on getting world-class imaging for your patients at UCSF - How to refer
It is our privilege and pleasure to work with you by providing world-class imaging services to your patients. We look forward to partnering with you to deliver the best possible patient outcomes. Please call our scheduling department at (415) 353-3900 or contact us anytime.
We look forward to learning more about your needs:
To refer a patient, please call (415) 353-3900.
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