[Clinical Implications and Appropriate Use of Amyloid Imaging with florbetapir (18F) in Diagnosis of Patients with Alzheimer Disease].

florbetapir (18F) is a radiolabeled compound that can be used to visualize amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the brains of patients with cognitive dysfunction, who are suspected of having Alzheimer disease (AD). Knowing the status of Aβ accumulation in the brain is beneficial to selecting therapeutic strategies or to planning of laboratory examinations, hence amyloid PET imaging is expected to be utilized more often in a clinical setting. Based on the results of a clinical study of florbetapir (18F), this review discusses the usefulness and clinical significance of amyloid PET imaging, and its appropriate use in Japan. (Received Octover 7, 2015; Accepted February 15, 2016; Published October 1, 2016).