Abstract
Application of molecular neuroimaging using positron emission tomographic techniques
to assess pediatric neurodegenerative disorders has been limited, unlike in adults
where positron emission tomography has contributed to clinical diagnosis, monitoring
of neurodegenerative disease progression, and assessment of novel therapeutic approaches.
Yet, there is a huge unexplored potential of molecular imaging to improve our understanding
of the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders in children and provide radiological
biomarkers that can be applied clinically. The obstacles in performing PET scans on
children include sedation, radiation exposure, and access but, as will be illustrated,
these barriers can be easily overcome. This review summarizes findings from PET studies
that have been performed over the past three decades on children with various neurodegenerative
disorders, including the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, juvenile Huntington disease,
Wilson disease, Niemann-Pick disease type C, Dravet syndrome, dystonia, mitochondrial
disorders, inborn errors of metabolism, lysosomal storage diseases, dysmyelinating
disorders, Rett syndrome, neurotransmitter disorders, glucose transporter Glut 1 deficiency,
and Lesch-Nyhan disease. Because positron emission tomographic scans have often been
clinically useful and have contributed to the management of these disorders, we suggest
that the time has come for glucose metabolism positron emission tomographic scans
to be reimbursed by insurance carriers for children with neurodegenerative disorders,
and not restricted only to epilepsy surgery evaluation.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 17, 2019
Accepted:
July 9,
2019
Received:
May 1,
2019
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
