Sensitivity of current criteria for the diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Diagnosis of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) relies on criteria that are constraining and potentially ambiguous. Some features are open to clinical interpretation and their prevalence unknown. This study investigated the sensitivity of current diagnostic criteria in a large group of patients with bvFTD.

Methods

Forty-five patients with clear evidence of bvFTD as judged by progressive clinical decline (>3 years) with marked frontal features and significant frontal brain atrophy on brain MRI were included. Thirty-two have died; pathologic confirmation of frontotemporal lobar degeneration was found in all 18 coming to autopsy. We established the prevalence of core and supportive diagnostic features at presentation and with disease progression.

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SUBMITTER: Piguet O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2821829 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature