The Appropriate Use of Neuroimaging in the Diagnostic Work-Up of Dementia

Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee Recommendations

The Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee supports the current guideline that patients with suspected dementia who present with certain special clinical features should undergo neuroimaging with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
The Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee recommends that acquisition and reporting of diagnostic imaging for dementia be standardized to ensure quality.
The Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee recommends a mega-analysis on dementia.

Read the full OHTAC Recommendation report

Dementia is a condition in the brain that causes a decline in mental abilities, which often results in death. Patients have problems with at least two brain functions, such as memory loss, impaired judgment, language problems or performing daily activities. Understanding the illness helps patients, families, and physicians prepare for the future.

Guidelines recommend computed tomography, or CT scan (followed by magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, for patients believed to have a tumour) as the best way to find the causes of mild to moderate dementia.

Health Quality Ontario Reviews Neuroimaging to Diagnose Dementia

Both CT scans and MRI are imaging procedures used to check for problems within the brain. Computed tomography uses radiography to look at cross sections of tissue, while MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to form images of the body. These two tests are useful for patients whose dementia might have more than one cause and for patients whose type of dementia has been unclear for two or more years.

The Appropriate Use of Neuroimaging in the Diagnostic Work-Up of Dementia: An Evidence-Based Analysis
February 2014 (PDF)

The Appropriate Use of Neuroimaging in the Diagnostic Work-Up of Dementia: An Economic Literature Review and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
February 2014 (PDF)

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The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care endorses this recommendation.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has provided the following response: The Ministry agrees with this recommendation and encourages health care professionals to adhere to it.

Evidence to Improve Care