Biomarkers associated with survival and favourable outcome of radioembolization with yttrium-90 glass microspheres for colon cancer liver metastases: Single centre experience.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with Yttrium-90 in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases and to evaluate the prognostic value of different biomarkers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study enrolled consecutive patients with CRC liver metastases treated with TARE between November 2015 and june 2020. The therapeutic response at three and six months (RECIST1.1 criteria) and the relationship of biomarkers with therapeutic response, by calculating objective tumor response rates (ORR) and disease control (DCR), and overall survival (OS) and progression-free (PFS). RESULTS: Thirty TAREs were performed in 23 patients (mean age, 61.61 ±â€¯9.13 years; 56.5% male). At three months, the objective response rate (ORR) was 16.7% and the disease control rate (DCR) 53.3%. At six months, the disease progressed in 80%. The ORR and DCR were significantly associated with age at diagnosis (P = 0.047), previous bevacizumab treatment (P = 0.008), pre-TARE haemoglobin (P = 0.008), NLR (P = 0.040), pre-TARE albumin (P = 0.012), pre-TARE ALT (P = 0.023) and tumour-absorbed dose > 115 Gy (P = 0.033). Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months (95% CI, 4.75-19.25 months) and median progression-free survival (PFS) 3 months (95% CI, 2.41-3.59). OS was significantly associated with primary tumour resection (P = 0.019), KRAS mutation (HR: 5.15; P = 0.024), pre-TARE haemoglobin (HR: 0.50; p = 0.009), pre-TARE NLR (HR: 1.65; P = 0.005) and PLR (HR: 1.01; P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: TARE prognosis and therapeutic response were predicted by different biomarkers, ranging from biochemical parameters to tumour dosimetrics.

Biomarkers associated with survival and favourable outcome of radioembolization with yttrium-90 glass microspheres for colon cancer liver metastases: Single centre experience. / Biomarcadores asociados con la supervivencia y la respuesta terapéutica a la radioembolización con esferas cargadas de itrio-90 en las metástasis hepáticas del carcinoma colorrectal: nuestra experiencia.

OBJETIVE: To determine the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with Yttrium-90 in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases and to evaluate the prognostic value of different biomarkers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study enrolled consecutive patients with CRC liver metastases treated with TARE between November 2015 and june 2020. The therapeutic response at three and six months (RECIST1.1 criteria) and the relationship of biomarkers with therapeutic response, by calculating objective tumor response rates (ORR) and disease control (DCR), and overall survival (OS) and progression-free (PFS). RESULTS: Thirty TAREs were performed in 23 patients (mean age, 61,61±9,13 years; 56,5% male). At three months, the objective response rate (ORR) was 16,7% and the disease control rate (DCR) 53,3%. At six months, the disease progressed in 80%. The ORR and DCR were significantly associated with age at diagnosis (P=.047), previous bevacizumab treatment (P=.008), pre-TARE haemoglobin (P=.008), NLR (P=.040), pre-TARE albumin (P=.012), pre-TARE ALT (P=.023) and tumour-absorbed dose>115Gy (P=.033). Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months (95% CI, 4.75-19.25 months) and median progression-free survival (PFS) 3 months (95% CI, 2.41-3.59). OS was significantly associated with primary tumour resection (P=.019), KRAS mutation (HR: 5.15; P=.024), pre-TARE haemoglobin (HR: .50; p=.009), pre-TARE NLR (HR: 1.65; P=.005) and PLR (HR: 1.01; P=.042). CONCLUSION: TARE prognosis and therapeutic response were predicted by different biomarkers, ranging from biochemical parameters to tumour dosimetrics.

[PET/CT: focal lung uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose on PET but no structural alterations on CT]. / PET-TAC: captación pulmonar focal de FDG sin alteracion estructural en TAC.

The combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) in a single device (PET/CT) offers a powerful diagnostic tool that opens up new horizons for imaging diagnosis. In order to correctly interpret PET/CT studies, knowledge of the biodistribution of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), the physiological variants as well as the pitfalls, including artefacts, which may be found, is necessary. We report four cases performed during the follow-up diagnostic context of an oncology study performed with 18F-FDG-PET/CT. In every case, this study showed focal uptake in the lung parenchyma in the PET study with no structural lesions being found on the CT scan. Radiotracer extravasation in three of these patients and a recent change in the injection protocol used suggest that an artefact was responsible for these discrepancies.

[Gallbladder cancer staging with 18F-FDG PET-CT]. / Estadificación del cáncer de vesícula mediante tomografía de positrones con 18F-fluorodesoxiglucosa.

Gallbladder cancer is the most common biliary tract neoplasm. It generally affects the elderly, who are usually clinically asymptomatic. When symptoms appear, they suggest the presence of complications locally or due to tumour progression. Late diagnosis of the disease indicates a poor prognosis for these patients. Surgery is the only treatment with curative intent, but it is only possible in the early stages. Diagnostic imaging of this type of tumour is usually performed with ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance cholangiography. Positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) with dedicated scanners or hybrid PET-CT scans are new diagnostic tools which could help in the pre-surgical diagnosis of these tumours. We present three cases to illustrate the usefulness of PET-FDG in the pre-surgical staging of gallbladder cancer.

Development of a positron emission tomography risks map. / Desarrollo de un mapa de riesgos para la tomografía por emisión de positrones.

Patient safety is an essential component of quality of care, especially when the complexity of care has reached extreme levels. Currently achieving this safety is considered a basic strategy of the National Health System. Nuclear Medicine departments have certain peculiarities that make them special in terms of patient safety, with situations that go beyond the common healthcare practice of other departments. Namely, that both encapsulated and non-encapsulated ionizing radiation is used in daily practice, and numerous groups of professionals must be coordinated to undertake positron emission tomography (PET) specifically, from the clinical management unit itself, and from other departments of the hospital (as well as companies outside the hospital itself and the Public Health System). The objective of this paper was to identify the risks to which a patient who is to be explored through PET can be exposed in a Nuclear Medicine department and draw up a risk map for the PET process. The methodology used is part of the proposal of the Ministry of Health (2007), and its practical implementation (given the limited literature available on Nuclear Medicine), follows as far as possible that of related care areas (radiodiagnosis and radiotherapy). For this purpose, a multidisciplinary team of professionals directly related to the PET process was created, using the modal analysis of faults and effects methodology to identify possible failures, their causes and the potential adverse events causing each. As a final step, a risk map was created, locating the previously identified faults at each stage of the process. This paper exposes the PET process, and describes the risks that patients might run when a PET scan is required, as well as the adverse events deriving from it. All this is shown in a risk map of the PET process.

[Circumscript myositis ossificans in a four-year-old boy]. / Miositis osificante circunscrita en un niño de cuatro años.

We present the case of a 4 year old boy with no previous personal or family history of interest, who attended the Paediatric Department of our hospital after a physical examination revealed a painful induration in the left arm which had increased in size; imaging tests were consistent with a calcified mass in soft tissues, without cortical involvement, suspected of being malignant. Two-phase bone scintigraphy was requested in which a soft tissue lesion, not suggestive of malignancy, was detected. The biopsy was negative for malignant cells. However, in view of the progressive increase in size of the lesion, FDG positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was performed, showing a hypermetabolic mass consistent with malignancy in the left arm, for which the patient underwent surgery for suspected possible parosteal osteosarcoma.

Amyloid PET in neurodegenerative diseases with dementia. / PET amiloide en enfermedades neurodegenerativas que cursan con demencia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory loss, and is the most common form of dementia. Amyloid plaques with neurofibrillary tangles are a neuropathological hallmark of AD that produces synaptic dysfunction and culminates later in neuronal loss. Amyloid PET is a useful, available and non-invasive technique that provides in vivo information about the cortical amyloid burden. In the latest revised criteria for the diagnosis of AD biomarkers were defined and integrated: pathological and diagnostic biomarkers (increased retention on fibrillar amyloid PET or decreased Aß1-42 and increased T-Tau or P-Tau in CSF) and neurodegeneration or topographical biomarkers (temporoparietal hypometabolism on 18F-FDG PET and temporal atrophy on MRI). Recently specific recommendations have been created as a consensus statement on the appropriate use of the imaging biomarkers, including amyloid PET: early-onset cognitive impairment/dementia, atypical forms of AD, mild cognitive impairment with early age of onset, and to differentiate between AD and other neurodegenerative diseases that occur with dementia. Amyloid PET is also contributing to the development of new therapies for AD, as well as in research studies for the study of other neurodegenerative diseases that occur with dementia where the deposition of Aß amyloid is involved in its pathogenesis. In this paper, we review some general concepts and study the use of amyloid PET in depth and its relationship with neurodegenerative diseases and other diagnostic techniques.

[Neuroimaging and drug addiction: neuroanatomical correlates of cocaine, opiates, cannabis and ecstasy abuse]. / Neuroimagen y drogodependencias: correlatos neuroanatómicos del consumo de cocaína, opiáceos, cannabis y éxtasis.

INTRODUCTION: Drug abuse is related to neurocognitive alterations linked to the functioning of several areas of the brain. The application of advanced neuroimaging techniques has allowed important advances to be made in research being conducted on why stable disorders are produced in the brain mechanisms responsible for the cognitive processes and on determining exactly what mechanisms drugs of abuse are involved in. AIM. To discuss the evidence available regarding the existence of alterations in the brains of consumers of the most prevalent drugs of abuse in western societies, that is, cocaine, opiates, ecstasy and cannabis. DEVELOPMENT: We review the main neuroimaging studies that have detected alterations in the brain structure and functioning of drug abusers. Likewise, we also discuss the findings from functional neuroimaging studies that have analysed patterns of brain activation associated to specific cognitive operations, such as memory or the executive functions. CONCLUSIONS: Drug abusers present significant alterations in extensive areas of the cortex (especially in the frontal and temporal cortex), subcortex (amygdala, hippocampus and insular cortex) and basal regions (striatum). These alterations are associated with abnormal patterns of activation during cognitive memory tasks, inhibition and decision-making. Cocaine abusers present more pronounced and generalised alterations in the brain. By combining neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings is has been shown that the motivational, memory and executive control processes can play a key role in rehabilitating drug addicts.

A new era for Nuclear Medicine neuroimaging in Spain: Where do we start from in Spain? / Nuevos tiempos para la neuroimagen de Medicina Nuclear en España: ¿de dónde partimos?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the status of neuroimaging studies of Nuclear Medicine in Spain during 2013 and first quarter of 2014, in order to define the activities of the neuroimaging group of the Spanish Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SEMNIM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire of 14 questions was designed, divided into 3 parts: characteristics of the departments (equipment and professionals involved); type of scans and clinical indications; and evaluation methods. The questionnaire was sent to 166 Nuclear Medicine departments. RESULTS: A total of 54 departments distributed among all regions completed the questionnaire. Most departments performed between 300 and 800 neuroimaging examinations per year, representing more than 25 scans per month. The average pieces of equipment were three; half of the departments had a PET/CT scanner and SPECT/CT equipment. Scans performed more frequently were brain SPECT with 123I-FP-CIT, followed by brain perfusion SPECT and PET with 18F-FDG. The most frequent clinical indications were cognitive impairment followed by movement disorders. For evaluation of the images most sites used only visual assessment, and for the quantitative assessment the most used was quantification by region of interest. CONCLUSIONS: These results reflect the clinical activity of 2013 and first quarter of 2014. The main indications of the studies were cognitive impairment and movement disorders. Variability in the evaluation of the studies is among the challenges that will be faced in the coming years.

Biomarcadores asociados con la supervivencia y la respuesta terapéutica a la radioembolización con esferas cargadas de itrio-90 en las metástasis hepáticas del carcinoma colorrectal: nuestra experiencia / Biomarkers associated with survival and favourable outcome of radioembolization with yttrium-90 glass microspheres for colon cancer liver metastases: Single centre experience

Objetivo: Analizar la eficacia terapéutica, seguridad y valor pronóstico de diferentes biomarcadores de la radioembolización transarterial con esferas de itrio-90 (TARE) en pacientes con metástasis hepáticas de cáncer colorrectal. Material y métodos: Estudio prospectivo que incluye los pacientes con metástasis hepáticas de cancer colorrectal tratados con TARE entre noviembre de 2015 y junio de 2020. Se analizó la respuesta terapéutica (3 y 6 meses, criterios RECIST v1.1) mediante el cálculo de las tasas de respuesta tumoral objetiva (ORR) y de control de la enfermedad (DCR), así como la asociación de los biomarcadores con la respuesta terapéutica y la supervivencia global (SG) y libre de progresión (SLP). Resultados: Treinta TARE en 23 pacientes (edad media 61,61±9,13 años; 56,5% varones). La ORR a los 3 meses fue del 16,7% y el DCR del 53,3%. A los 6 meses progresaron el 80% de los pacientes. La ORR y DCR se asociaron con la edad (p=0,047), tratamiento con bevacizumab (p=0,008), hemoglobina (p=0,008), NLR (p=0,040), albúmina (p=0,012) y GPT (p=0,023) previas a la TARE, y la dosis absorbida tumoral estimada>115Gy (p=0,033). La mediana de SG fue de 12 meses (IC 95%: 4,75-19,25 meses) y de SLP 3 meses (IC 95%: 2,41-3,59 meses). La SG se asoció con la cirugía del tumor primario (p=0,019), mutación KRAS (p=0,024), hemoglobina (p=0,009), NLR (p=0,005) y PLR (p=0,042) previos a la TARE. Conclusión: Los biomarcadores con capacidad para predecir el pronóstico y respuesta terapéutica a la TARE incluyen desde parámetros bioquímicos a factores relacionados con la dosimetría tumoral estimada (AU)

Objetivo: To determine the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with Yttrium-90 in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases and to evaluate the prognostic value of different biomarkers. Material and methods: This prospective longitudinal study enrolled consecutive patients with CRC liver metastases treated with TARE between November 2015 and june 2020. The therapeutic response at three and six months (RECIST1.1 criteria) and the relationship of biomarkers with therapeutic response, by calculating objective tumor response rates (ORR) and disease control (DCR), and overall survival (OS) and progression-free (PFS). Results: Thirty TAREs were performed in 23 patients (mean age, 61,61±9,13 years; 56,5% male). At three months, the objective response rate (ORR) was 16,7% and the disease control rate (DCR) 53,3%. At six months, the disease progressed in 80%. The ORR and DCR were significantly associated with age at diagnosis (P=.047), previous bevacizumab treatment (P=.008), pre-TARE haemoglobin (P=.008), NLR (P=.040), pre-TARE albumin (P=.012), pre-TARE ALT (P=.023) and tumour-absorbed dose>115Gy (P=.033). Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months (95% CI, 4.75-19.25 months) and median progression-free survival (PFS) 3 months (95% CI, 2.41-3.59). OS was significantly associated with primary tumour resection (P=.019), KRAS mutation (HR: 5.15; P=.024), pre-TARE haemoglobin (HR: .50; p=.009), pre-TARE NLR (HR: 1.65; P=.005) and PLR (HR: 1.01; P=.042). Conclusion: TARE prognosis and therapeutic response were predicted by different biomarkers, ranging from biochemical parameters to tumour dosimetrics (AU)

[Progressive myositis ossificans. Utility of bone scintigraphy]. / Miositis osificante progresiva. Utilidad de la gammagrafía ósea.

47 year old woman affected by myositis ossificans, with muscular calcifications in her evolution. Bone scintigraphy showed increased polyfocal activity as well as uptake of different intensity in soft tissues. The bone scintigraphy allows for early identification of ossification areas in soft tissues, as it can even detect injuries earlier than that observed with other image techniques. It is considered to be very useful in the diagnosis and establishment of the extension of the process, as well as follow-up.

False positive thallium-201 SPECT imaging in brain abscess.

Three cases of intracranial 201Tl uptake, reported as positive tumour activity in patients with a final diagnosis of abscess, are described. 201Tl has been proposed as a useful oncotropic radiotracer in the diagnosis of brain tumour activity. These cases suggest a note of caution in the interpretation of 201Tl brain images in the differential diagnosis of an intracranial expanding mass.

[Fibrous bone dysplasia in the context of a McCune-Albright Syndrome]. / Displasia ósea fibrosa en el contexto de un síndrome de McCune-Albright.

Young male patient clinically and radiologically diagnosed of a tumour in IX right rib. A subsequent study with bone scintigraphy showed other areas of focal uptake in the skull, ribs and left trochanterian region. The biopsy of the costal lesion showed a fibrous dysplasia in the clinical context of a McCune-Albright syndrome. The convenience of using complementary imaging techniques is discussed to establish adequate therapeutic behavior.

[Value of thallium 201-SPECT in typing brain space-occupying lesions]. / Valor de la SPECT con Talio-201 en la tipificación de lesiones ocupantes de espacio intracerebrales.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of single photon emission computed tomography with Tl-201 (SPECT Tl-201) to establish the tumoral or non-tumoral nature of brain space occupying lesions in comparison with usual diagnostic techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 37 patients, 24 men (64.9 %) and 13 women (35.1 %), mean age 48 +/- 16 years. After establishing the clinical and radiological diagnosis of brain lesion, all patients underwent SPECT Tl-201, evaluating it only by subjective analysis and blinded to neuroestructural techniques. After surgical resection all patients were evaluated anatomopathologically to establish the histologic nature. RESULTS: The sensitivity of SPECT Tl-201 (0.87) was higher than standard neuroimaging techniques (0.78). Specificity (0.43), positive (0.87) and negative (0.43) predictive values of SPECT were similar to neuroestructural procedures (MRI and CT scan) with 0.43, 0.82 and 0.38 values. Tumoral disease prevalence was 0.81. Neuroestructural procedures were non-conclusive in 18.9 % of the studies. No non-conclusive results were obtained with SPECT Tl-201. CONCLUSIONS: SPECT Tl-201 is a diagnostic procedure of high sensitivity to establish the tumoral nature of brain lesions, with poor specificity, similar to structural X-ray techniques.

[Diagnosis of renovascular hypertension by pre- and post-captopril renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-DMSA]. / Diagnóstico de hipertensión vasculorrenal mediante gammagrafía renal con 99mTe-DMSA pre y postcaptopril.

AIM: Value the utility of studies with 99mTc-DMSA with captopril (scintigraphy imaging and unilateral renal function) in identifying renovascular disease or renal disease in hypertension patients with high probability of renovascular hypertension. METHODS: We studied 27 hypertension patients (12 males, 15 females) mean age 49 years, SD: 9.46, with high probability of renovascular disease. General analysis and radiology was made to all of them including renal arteriography as gold standard. Two renal scintigraphies with 99mTc-DMSA were made to all of them, baseline study and one hour after administration of 50 mg of captopril, a week between both studies. Renal scintigraphy (anterior and posterior images) was obtained 4 hours after the administration of 111 MBq (3 mCi) of 99mTc-DMSA and results were evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively calculating unilateral renal function. We considered positive for renovascular hypertension studies with decrease of more than five percentual points in unilateral renal function or a new defect absent in baseline study. Scintigraphic results were compared with arteriography to determine sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. RESULTS: Arteriography demonstrated significant renal artery stenosis in 18.5% of patients. Renal scintigraphy with captopril using 99mTc-DMSA demonstrated sensitivity of 60%, specificity of 91%, positive predictive value of 60% and negative predictive value of 91%. We identified 3 patients with segmental defects of uptake consistent with chronic pyelonephritis scarring. CONCLUSIONS: Studies with 99mTc-DMSA using captopril present high specificity and are useful in patients with high probability for renovascular hypertension, identifying high number of patients with significant renal artery stenosis. The utility of DMSA in identify renal abnormalities, as specially pyelonephritis scarring, add value to renal studies with captopril using others tracers. DMSA could identify renal etiologies of renovascular hypertension different to renal artery stenosis.

Parametrization of textural patterns in 123I-ioflupane imaging for the automatic detection of Parkinsonism.

PURPOSE: A novel approach to a computer aided diagnosis system for the Parkinson's disease is proposed. This tool is intended as a supporting tool for physicians, based on fully automated methods that lead to the classification of (123)I-ioflupane SPECT images. METHODS: (123)I-ioflupane images from three different databases are used to train the system. The images are intensity and spatially normalized, then subimages are extracted and a 3D gray-level co-occurrence matrix is computed over these subimages, allowing the characterization of the texture using Haralick texture features. Finally, different discrimination estimation methods are used to select a feature vector that can be used to train and test the classifier. RESULTS: Using the leave-one-out cross-validation technique over these three databases, the system achieves results up to a 97.4% of accuracy, and 99.1% of sensitivity, with positive likelihood ratios over 27. CONCLUSIONS: The system presents a robust feature extraction method that helps physicians in the diagnosis task by providing objective, operator-independent textural information about (123)I-ioflupane images, commonly used in the diagnosis of the Parkinson's disease. Textural features computation has been optimized by using a subimage selection algorithm, and the discrimination estimation methods used here makes the system feature-independent, allowing us to extend it to other databases and diseases.

The role of positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging with radiolabeled choline analogues in prostate cancer.

INTRODUCTION: prostate cancer is the most frequent solid malignant tumor in Western Countries. Positron emission tomography/x-ray computed tomography imaging with radiolabeled choline analogues is a useful tool for restaging prostate cancer in patients with rising prostate-specific antigen after radical treatment (in whom conventional imaging techniques have important limitations) as well as in the initial assessment of a selected group of prostate cancer patients. For this reason a literature review is necessary in order to evaluate the usefulness of this imaging test for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: a MEDLINE (PubMed way) literature search was performed using the search parameters: «Prostate cancer¼ and «Choline-PET/CT¼. Other search terms were «Biochemical failure¼ and/or «Staging¼ and/or «PSA kinetics¼. English and Spanish papers were selected; original articles, reviews, systematic reviews and clinical guidelines were included. CONCLUSIONS: according to available data, radiolabeled choline analogues plays an important role in the management of prostate cancer, especially in biochemical relapse because technique accuracy is properly correlated with prostate-specific antigen values and kinetics. Although is an emerging diagnostic technique useful in treatment planning of prostate cancer, final recommendations have not been submitted.

[Regional cerebral blood flow-SPECT "OFF-ON": a case report of catatonia]. / SPECT-perfusión cerebral regional «off-on¼: a propósito de un caso de catatonia.

We report the case of a patient with a long history of dysthymia and major depressive episodes requiring repeated hospitalization. We describe the most recent episode, associated with catatonia symptomatology and features suggestive of cognitive impairment. The absence of a clear initial psychopharmacological response alongside the clinical severity made the patient a potential candidate for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A regional cerebral blood flow SPECT (SPECT-rCBF), performed to rule out concomitant Alzheimer disease (AD), revealed a markedly decreased neocortical uptake, with no definitive pattern of concomitant primary cognitive impairment. Because a gradual clinical improvement was observed in the patient, with evidence of enhanced cerebral reperfusion in a second SPECT-rCBF study at two weeks after admission, the application of ECT was discounted and an expectant attitude was adopted.

Efficient mining of association rules for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

In this paper, a novel technique based on association rules (ARs) is presented in order to find relations among activated brain areas in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. In this sense, the aim of this work is to discover associations among attributes which characterize the perfusion patterns of normal subjects and to make use of them for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Firstly, voxel-as-feature-based activation estimation methods are used to find the tridimensional activated brain regions of interest (ROIs) for each patient. These ROIs serve as input to secondly mine ARs with a minimum support and confidence among activation blocks by using a set of controls. In this context, support and confidence measures are related to the proportion of functional areas which are singularly and mutually activated across the brain. Finally, we perform image classification by comparing the number of ARs verified by each subject under test to a given threshold that depends on the number of previously mined rules. Several classification experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the proposed methods using a SPECT database that consists of 41 controls (NOR) and 56 AD patients labeled by trained physicians. The proposed methods were validated by means of the leave-one-out cross validation strategy, yielding up to 94.87% classification accuracy, thus outperforming recent developed methods for computer aided diagnosis of AD.